IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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WnSTIi.N.Y.  M5M 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVl/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  ln»tituta  for  Historical  IMic«^^reproduction8  /  institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


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©1984 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua. 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


ColourtMl  covars/ 
Couvartura  da  couiaur 


I     I   Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurAa  at/ou  pallicul4a 


r~1   Covar  titia  missing/ 


La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 


I     I   Colourad  maps/ 


Cartas  gAographiquas  an  couiaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  couiaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


rn   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planchas  at/ou  illustrations  an  couiaur 

Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autras  documants 

Tight  binding  may  causa  ahadows  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

Lareiiura  sarrie  paut  causer  da  I'ombra  ou  do  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marga  intAriaura 

Blank  laavas  addad  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible.  th«se 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte. 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  4t«  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentairas: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  la  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  At*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Los  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mtthoda  normale  de  filmaga 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


I     I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pagea  da  couiaur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restauries  et/ou  peiliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  dAcolonles.  tachaties  ou  piquAas 


r~~1   Pages  damaged/ 

r~1   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r~^   Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


□   Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dttachias 

SShowthrough/ 
Transparence 


Transparence 

Quality  of  prin 

Qualit*  inigaJa  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  mattriai  supplimentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


I     I   Quality  of  print  varies/ 

|~~|   Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I    Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Las  pages  totalement  ou  partiallement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  una  palure, 
etc..  ont  *t*  filmies  A  nouveau  d«  fafon  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 


WW  av 

10X 

*Kum 

ont  « 

«i  III 

14X 

U   IMM 

A   «« 

rwau 

18X 

■nui« 

^u*  w 

i-uva 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 

16X 

aox 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Th«  eopy  filmMi  h«r«  has  bMin  r«produe«d  thsiiks 
to  tlw  9«n«rotity  of: 

Hmn  Brunswick  KtlusMim 
Saint  John 

Tho  Ifnagos  oppooring  horo  or*  tho  bo«t  quality 
posaibia  eonaMaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tiM  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacificationa. 


L'axampiaira  filmi  fut  raproduit  grica  i  la 
gAn^roaiti  da: 

Niw  Bniimviek  MuNum 
Saint  John 

Laa  Imagaa  auivantaa  ont  At*  raproduitaa  avec  la 
piua  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  Taxampiaira  filmA.  at  9n 
conformitA  avac  laa  conditiona  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  inat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  intpraa- 
aion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  AI9 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  fllmad  biiginnlng  on  tha 
f  Irat  paga  with  a  printad  or  IHuatrutod  Impraa- 
aion.  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  wHh  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  impraaaton. 


Laa  axamplalraa  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  •n 
papiar  aat  ImprimAa  aont  filmia  an  commanfant 
par  la  prars^tiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  aoit  par  la 
darnMra  paga  qui  comporta  una  ampreinta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illuatration,  soit  par  la  aacond 
plat,  aalon  la  caa.  Toua  laa  autraa  axamplalraa 
originaux  aont  fiimAa  an  commandant  par  la 
praralAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  3u  d'jiiuatration  ut  an  tarminant  par 
la  damlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  taiia 
ampminta. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
ahall  contain  tha  aymbol  •*»•  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  aymbol  ▼  (maaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appliaa. 

Mapa,  plataa,  charta,  ate.,  may  ba  fllmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratioa.  Thoaa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  in  ona  axpoaura  ara  fllmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  comar.  laft  to 
right  and  top  tc  bottom,  aa  many  framaa  aa 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrama  illuatrata  tha 
mathod: 


Un  daa  aymboiaa  auivanta  apparaitra  aur  la 
darniAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha.  aalon  ia 
caa:  ia  aymboia  — »>  signifia  "A  SUIVRE".  ia 
aymbola  ▼  aignifia  "FIN". 

Laa  cartas,  planchaa.  tablaaux,  ate,  pauvant  Atra 
filmAs  A  daa  taux  da  rAductlon  diffArants. 
Loraqua  la  document  aat  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  aaui  ciichA.  il  aat  filmA  A  partir 
da  i'angia  supAriaur  gbucha,  da  gaucha  A  droita. 
at  da  haut  an  baa.  an  pranant  <a  nombra 
d'imagaa  nAcaaaaira.  Laa  cii«igramma&  suivants 
illustrant  la  mAthoda. 


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110 

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f|04 


THE 


Knockabout  Club 


IN   THE  WOODS. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  SIX   YOUNG  MEN  IN  THE    WILDS 

OF  MAINE    AND    CANADA. 


BY 


C    A.    STEPHENS, 

AUTHOR  OF   "camping  OUT,"    "LEFT  ON   LABRADOR,"    "FOX    HUNTING,"    "  ON  THB  AMAZONS," 


'  THB  YOUNG   MOOSE   HUNTERS,"  ETC. 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 


BOSTON: 

ESTES    AND    LAURIAT. 

1883. 


I 


''':.::■•^' 


Copyrighty  1881, 
BY    ESTES    AN        LaURIAT. 

AH  Rights  Rtsenud. 


.  •vlv 


CONTENTS. 


CMAPTBR  »AOt 

Informally 13 

I.  Down  East  on  a  Wheel 20 

II.   Rougher  and  Wilder  grew  the  Way 36 

III.  Good-bye,  Bicycles.    Off  to  the  Lakes 44 

IV.  Camping  Out 56 

V.    MOOSEHEAD  and  THE  WeST   BrANCH 7 1 

VI.  Umbazooksous  Meadows.     Two  Sides  to  a  Story      ....  83 

VII.   The  Wood-sprites.     A  Nocturnal  Scare       9a 

VIII.   Bumble-bees'  Nests.     Stein's  Adventure 101 

IX.   Camping  at  the  Great  Dam.     Uncle  John's  Story  ....  108 

X.  Down  the  Alleguash.     Uncle  Amos*  Stc>'*y 114 

XI.  RiKE  AND  Moses  O.  go  Moose-hunting.     The,  Result    .    .    .  12a 

XII.   Rivi£:re  du  Loup  and  the  Saguenay 131 

XIII.  Lac  St.  Jean.     Moses  O.  makes  a  Bad  Shot 139 

XIV.  Camped  on  the  Tshistagama.     Stein  Lost 146 

XV.  A  Caribou  at  Bay.     Hunting  by  Torchlight 157 

XVI.   Setting  Bear-traps.     A  Strong  Fish.     Odd  Game   ....  166 

XVII.  Another  Caribou.     Nugekt's  Fight  with  a  Lovp  cervier   .  173 

XVIII.  Bear  versus  Hedgehog.    Karzy  goes  Beaver-hunting  .    .    .  180 

XIX.  A  Rough-and-tumble  Otter-hunt 191 

'  XX.  The  Woods-demon 200 

XXI.  Quebec.     The  Wood-sprites  again.     Farewell 216 


// 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Father  Time  as  an  Organ-grinder 

Frontispiece. 

The  Club  at  the  Cross-Road i6 

The  Ram  took  him  again  and  sent  him 

his  whole  Length 23 

On  the  fly 25 

Massacre  of  the  Wakeley  Family       .    .  29 

"  Zeke  !  Zeke !  come  back  !  "     ....  32 

Drilling  Holes  in  the  Ledge 33 

Snow's  Falls  one  hundred  Years   ago  37 

A  Maine  Lake 38 

Moses  O.  turning  the  Guide-post    ...  42 

Upper  Fall,  Cataract  Brook       ....  45 

Sylvan  Cascade,  Cataract  Brook     ...  46 

The  Devil's  Den 47 

Silver  Ripple  Cascade,  Black  Brook  .     .  48 

Screw- Auger  Falls,  Bear  River     ...  50 

Steamer  Welokennebacook 52 

The  Upper  Dam 53 

Lake  Welokennebacook 54 

Camp  Bellevue,  Lake  Molechunkamunk  .  55 

Camping  Out 57 

Lake  Molechunkamunk 58 

Gentlemen  Tourists'  Camp 60 

Interior  of  a  Sportsman's  Camp   ...  61 

Theodore  Winthrop 62 

Lake  Mooseluckmeguntic 63 

Spirit  of  Moosieluckmeguntic     ....  64 

Camp  Henry,  Rangeley  Outlet       ...  65 

A  Camp  on  Lake  Mooseluckmeguntic     .  67 

A  Settler's  Log  Cabin 68 

The  First  Steamer  on  the  Lakes     ...  69 


VAOB 

Trout 70 

Moosehead 71 

Map  of  Moosehead  Lake 72 

First  Glimpse  of  Moosehead  ....  73 

Mount  Kineo 74 

Moosehead  from  Mount  Kineo    ...  75 

Billings'  Falls  in  "The  Gulf"     ...  76 

Socatean  Stream  Falls 77 

Old  wooden  Railroad  and  "  Bullgine  "  .  78 

Brassau  Rapids 79 

A  Party  we  saw 81 

Waiting  for  her  Coffee 85 

"Grand  Dad" 88 

A  Happy  Family.  —  One  we  didn't  meet  89 

Katahdin  from  the  Lake 90 

Uncle  Amos  and  Uncle  Johnny     ...  91 

The  Ladies'  Camp  ....'....  95 

"  Don't  fire !  that  air's  an  Ox  "     ...  99 

Taking  up  Bumble-Bees'  Nests     .       .  102 

"  I  met  the  old  Bear 104 

The  Horse  biting  wildly  at  him     ...  106 

01()  Times  on  the  Alleguash     ....  109 

In  the  dead  Water 112 

A  Scene  on  the  Alleguash 115 

A  Logging  Camp 116 

Junction  of  Alleguash  and  Aroostook  .  123 

"We  both  sprang  to  the  Door"    ...  128 

On  the  Stage 129 

All  aboard  for  the  Saguenay  ....  132 

L'ance  k  I'eau,  or  Port  of  Tadousac  133 

Tadousac 134 

Entrance  to  the  Saguenay 135 


ILLUSTRA  TIONS, 


PAGB 

Up  the  Saguenay 136 

Scene  in  Ha  Ha  Bay 137 

Nugent 140 

Lac  St.  Jean 141 

Paraphernal^ 142 

Chicoutimi 143 

Shooting  a  Rapid T44 

Moses  O.  gets  after  a  Loup  cervier  .    .  145 

Moses  O.  <}  la  tortoise 147 

Camp  on  the  Tshistagama 148 

Our  Dining-Room 149 

The  Kitchen 149 

The  blazing  Fir 151 

Up  in  the  old  Fir 155 

A  Caribou  Barren     .......  158 

Barren-ground  Caribou  ......  160 

Woodland  Caribou  Hoofs 161 

Wolverine 164 

Hoisting  her  gently  over 165 

Big  Tracks 167 


rAOB 

Capsized 168 

His  Head .169 

Shooting  Ducks  by  Torchlight    ...  170 

Otelne  Hunting  Caribou 174 

Beavers  at  Work  ........  183 

Breaking  a  Glut 188 

Up  the  Brook 192 

Otters  Fishing 195 

A  Loggers'  Camp      .......  201 

Capes  Trinity  and  Eternity     ....  205 

The  Wild  Man 206 

Statue  Point     .    .    .' 209 

Les  Tableaux 217 

Champlain  fighting  the  Battles  of  the 

Indians 221 

Jacques  Cartier '   .    c  223 

The  Citadel 224 

Famished    Indians   seeking    Food    at 

Quebec  in  1608 227 

Coasting  on  Toboggins 230 


THE  KNOCKABOUT  CLUB  IN  THE  WOODS. 


THE 


KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


INFORMALLY. 

IF  our  railroads,  factories,  flour-mills,  and  machine- 
shops  were  perfect  in  construction^  they  would  give 
forth,  instead  of  thunderous  and  terrible  noises,  a 
grand,  sweet  music.  Music  is  the  synonym  for  per- 
fection. 

Last  night  I  heard  one  of  the  most  remarkable  musi- 
cal geniuses  of  this  century  set  forth  the  above  idea  at 
great  length,  and  it  did  seem  as  if  he  made  his  point. 
"  Well,  what  of  it?  "  do  you  ask? 

That  was  what  I  myself  asked,  after  the  lecturer  had  finished 
speaking. 

"What  of  it?  "  I  said.  "This  may  be  true.  But  what  have  we 
young  fellows  oi  this  generation  got  to  do  about  it?  Locomotives, 
trip-hammers,  and  fog-horns  do  not  make  sweet  music;  they  make 
a  grievous  noise,  and  will  go  on  doing  so." 

"  Not  forever,"  replied  the  orator,  with  a  grand  air  of  prophecy. 
"  Din,  uproar,  discord,  and  crime  are  the  index  of  imperfection  and 
error.  The  physical  and  moral  forces  are  correlated.  It  is  the  mis- 
sion of  Enlightened  Man  to  reform  and  bring  the  world  into  harmony. 
We  all  are,  or  should  be,  workers  to  this  end.  Nature  ordains  this. 
We  are  happy  or  unhappy  as  we  work  for  good  music  or  for  a  racket." 


H 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


*'  But  many  youngsters  like  a  '  racket,'  "  said  a  listener. 
•  **  That  is  because  they  are  temporarily  wrong-headed,"  replied 
the  musician. 

*'  But  how  shall  we  get  to  work  to  bring  about  this  universal  good 
music  ?  "  I  inquired.  "  Give  us  a  practical  idea,  one  we  can  work  on. 
What  shall  /  do  ?  " 

"  First  and  always,  get  knowledge.  Second,  put  your  knowledge 
into  effect  to  the  best  of  your  judgment.  This  is  a  duty.  Travel 
abroad.     Get  knowledge.     Come  home,  and  put  it  into  effect." 

Pondering  this,  I  fell  asleep  at  last,  and  later  on  dreamed  that 
Fathe  "  Time,  as  a  great  organ-grinder,  stood  turning  the  crank  of  the 
world.  It  was  a  huge  hand-organ  and  an  enormous  mill,  combined. 
Time,  hoary  and  gray,  but  with  muscles  like  Atlas,  had  hung  up 
his  old  scythe,  and  was  turning,  turning,  with  a  mighty  Titanic 
swing.     Creation  resounded  to  the  grand  yet  sweetly-solemn  strains. 

It  was  Pinafore.  "I'm  called  little  Buttercup,  dear  little  But- 
tercup." 

As  the  venerable  Monarch  of  the  Ages  turned  on,  things  kept 
dropping  out  into  the  great  universal  meal-box  beneath.  First  there 
came  a  Czar  of  Russia  along  with  a  lot  of  Nihilists,  all  ground  fine. 
This  batch  was  followed  by  Chancellor  Bismarck  with  his  Jews  and 
Jesuits,  ground  finer  still.  I  thought  that  it  was  on  a  foundation  of 
this  sort,  stamped  down  hard  like  macadam,  that  New  Europe  was 
to  be  built. 

Then  there  dropped  out  a  lot  of  coarse-cracked  American  poli- 
ticians :  a-  very  corrupt,  bad-smelling  grist  indeed.  A  voice  like 
fifty  millions  of  people  shouting  together,  cried,  "  Amen  I  Grind 
'em  finer  ! " 

But  just  then  the  grand  old  mill  turned  out  a  batch  of  strange  and 
wonderful  discoveries.  New  motors  did  the  world's  work.  Electric 
lights  gleamed  from  top  to  bottom  of  it.  In  the  midst  of  the  glorious 
illumination  there  popped  out  The  Knock-about  Club  I 


INFORMALLY, 


J5 


That  waked  me  ;  and  I  remembered  that  it  had  recently  fallen  to 
my  lot  to  record  the  doings  of  this  Knock-about  Club  and  introduce 
it  to  the  reader.  So  I  arose  in  haste  (it  was  already  eight  o'clock), 
and  got  my  pen. 

Why  is  it  that  there  is  always  something  so  inherently  awkward 
about  introductions,  manage  them  deftly  as  you  can  ?  At  the  outset 
a  question  of  etiquette  troubles  me  :  Can  I  properly  introduce  the 
Club  ?  For,  being  a  member,  it  will  infallibly  be  held  by  some  that 
I  am  committing  the  ludicrous  solecism  of  introducing  myself, 
without  so  much  as  a  letter  of  introduction  1 

True,  I  can  urge  that  writers  and  historians  are  commonly  ac- 
corded the  privilege  of  introducing  their  characters,  but  must  needs 
admit  that  it  is  a  privilege  they  very  often  abuse  by  bringing  to  the 
reader's  acquaintance  some  very  queer  people,  to  say  the  least.  So 
much  so  that,  for  my  own  part,  I  am  sometimes  of  the  opinion  that 
no  writer  should  presume  to  introduce  to  his  readers  characters 
whom  he  would  hesitate  to  present  to  his  personal  friends. 

But  on  this  latter  point  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  can  stand  before 
the  public  with  an  easy  and  limpid  conscience.  My  fellow-clubsmen 
are  irreproachable.  Each  one  carries  a  certificate  of  moral  character 
in  his  face  and  bearing.  Reader,  —  particularly  y"  young  lady 
reader, — they  are  nice  young  men,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  the 
name  of  the  Club. 

On  the  former  point,  and  just  as  I  was  setting  off  to  take 
Madam  Grundy's  opinion,  or  that  of  some  of  her  leading  repre- 
sentatives, our  artist  called  and  offered  me  a  sketch  in  pencil  of 
the  Club  en  route  for  The  Woods^  or  rather  on  our  journey  "  Down 
East."  It  occurs  to  me  to  offer  a  picture,  which  is  to  a  certain 
extent  true  as  a  photographic  likeness,  as  an  informal  introduction. 

Informal  in  this  case,  as  the  reader  will  observe,  means  on  a 
bicycle  :  that  light  and  airy  hermaphrodite  betwixt  feet  and  wings 
when  the  road  isn't  too  sandy. 


i6 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


/ 


The  locality  selected  by  our  artist-comrade  for  his  introductory 
effort  is  a  turn  of  the  carriage-road  shortly  after  crossing  the  Massa- 
chusetts State  line  into  New  Hampshire,  at  a  point  where  a  guide- 
board  says,  ^^ Exeter  11  miles. ^^ 


THE  CLUB   AT  THF,  CROSS-ROAD. 


Here   we   are,  young   ladies   and  gentlemen,   hat   m   hand;  and 
with  the  aid  of  a  few  brief  explanatory  remarks,  I  hope  we  shall  be 


INFORMALLY. 


17 


able  to  find  ourselves  sufficiently  well  acquainted  to  journey  on  together 
in  quest  of  knowledge  and  adventures.  That,  I  may  add,  was  the 
object  of  the  Club's  present  tour:  to  see  everything  worth  seeing,  to 
hunt,  to  fish,  to  camp  out  and  have  a  good  time. 

Our  Club  was  quite  an  impromptu  affair.  Six  months  ago,  not  one 
of  us,  save  in  a  single  instance,  knew,  or  had  ever  heard,  of  the  other 
members.  We  first  became  acquainted  on  the  occasion  of  the 
"Bicycle  Meet"  at  Boston,  last  summer,  when  we  were  for  the  week 
the  guests  of  our  present  Captain,  Mr.  Harold  S.  Dearborn.  Finding 
that  our  ideas  ran  in  similar  channels,  we  then  agreed  to  spend  our 
summer  vacation  together,  and  go  down  East  on  our  bicycles  —  our 
object  being,  at  first,  to  test  whether  a  country  tour  on  bicycles  was 
practicable  or  not.  When  we  left  Boston,*  on  the  28th  of  June,  we 
had  no  idea  of  taking  so  long  a  trip  as  we  were  finally  led  to  do. 
But  the  farther  we  went  the  better  we  enjoyed  it,  and  so  in  the  end 
had  come  nigh  penetrating  to  Hudson  Bay  itself!  —  not  on  our 
bicycles,  however;  though  we  ran  out  a  spoke  from  the  "Hub"  of  a 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  on  these,  to  begin  with. 

As  a  running  accompaniment  to  our  artist's  picture,  I  am  advised 
to  subjoin  a  few  facts  as  to  the  personnel  of  the  Club. 

At  the  head  of  the  file,  so  politely  doffing  his  straw  helmet,  is 
Captain  H.  S.  Dearborn,  citizen  of  Boston,  Junior  in  college,  in  his 
twentieth  year,  and  an  enthusiastic  amateur  sportsman,  base-ball 
player,  and  sculler;  withal,  a  good  shot.  Strong  point,  U.  S.  His- 
tory and  Biographies  of  Eminent  Statesmen.  Special  weakness  (as 
far  as  observed) ,  a  certain  moth-like  attraction  toward  a  pretty  face : 
in  other  words,  has  an  intense  admiration  for  beauty. 

Following  the  Captain,  comes  Roscoe  C.  Wayne,  citizen  of  New 
York  city,  eighteen  years  old,  fitted  to  enter  college  this  year,  afflicted 
with  a  rich  parent,  a  small,  silky  moustache,  and  a  belief  that  New 
York  is  all,  or  almost  all,  of  America.  Chiefly  remarkable  for  being 
a  good  fellow  generally,   and    liberal   with   his    cash.     No  special 


i8 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


weakness  thus  far  discovered.  Fairly  level-headed,  and  prides  him- 
self on  that. 

After  him  Freeland  Stein,  who  hails  from  the  great  city  of  the 
white  shutters,  marble  doorsteps,  and  a  Public  Building,  also  marble; 
a  thin,  thoughtful  youth  of  seventeen,  yet  a  remarkably  good  bicycler, 
who  took  to  his  machine  as  naturally  as  a  duck  to  water.  Said  to  be 
threatened  with  half  a  million,  almost  any  day  now.  Strong  point, 
mineralogy.  Has  a  very  fine  cabinet  of  specimen  ores,  crystals,  gems, 
etc.,  already  collected.  In  connection  with  his  penchant,  the  follow- 
ing story  is  told  of  him  when  eighteen  months  old.  One  day  he  was 
missed,  and  only  found  after  a  lengthy  search,  sitting  in  a  neighboring 
alley,  crying  bitterly.  The  cause  of  his  young  grief  was,  apparently, 
his  inability  to  get  on  his  feet,  owing  to  the  load  he  had  put  in  his 
apron,  the  corners  of  which  he  held  tightly  clutched  up.  Being 
inspected,  the  apron  was  found  to  contain  one  cobble-stone,  weight 
two  pounds,  two  lumps  of  coal,  two  ditto  of  coke,  eleven  potsherds  of 
stone  china-ware,  and  about  twice  that  number  of  broken  glass  bits. 
He  resisted,  and  screamed  loudly  when  the  nurse  went  to  scatter  this 
treasure,  and  had  ultimately  to  be  carried  home  with  the  whole  collec- 
tion intact.  What  is  still  more  curious,  he  says  he  distinctly  remem- 
bers the  incident — which  suggests  the  inquiry  whether  any  reader, 
distinctly  or  otherwise,  remembers  an  event  occurring  in  his  eigh- 
teenth month  I 

Next  follows  Mr.,  or  perhaps  better.  Master  Frey  Karsner  of  Cin- 
cinnati, our  special  artist,  and  a  cousin-german  of  our  captain. 
*'  Karzy  "  is  the  boy^  being  but  just  turned  fifteen.  We  think  he  pos- 
sesses genius,  and  he  sometimes  appears  to  think  so  himself,  having, 
like  Artemus  Ward,  an  enjoyable  appreciation  of  his  own  peculiar 
talent.  Karzy  wished  to  go  to  Italy  this  year,  to  pursue  his  art  stud- 
ies, having  graduated  from  the  High  School  of  his  native  city  a  year 
ago.  It  is  a  question  of  dollars  and  cents,  I  believe.  I  have  little 
doubt  that  a  bicycle  is  much  better  for  him  than  a  palette.    But  his 


INFORMALLY, 


»9 


heart  longs  after  Rome  and  its  studios.  In  fact,  he  looks  somewhat 
like  a  Roman,  and  his  nose  is  wholly  Roman. 

Next  to  last  trundles  Moses  O.  Davis,  a  landed  proprietor  from 
one  of  the  rural  counties  of  the  Hoosier  section.  Moses  doesn't  take 
much  stock  in  colleges  and  the  like,  but  goes  in  for  living  in.  a 
large  sense.  Nothing  excites  Moses  O.,  not  even  the  Indiana  election 
last  fall.  "  Corn  grows  all  the  same,"  Moses  says.  The  matter  of 
another  fellow's  getting  awfully  mad  with  him  seems  always  to  im- 
press Moses  as  a  jolly  little  joke :  a  thing  to  laugh  at  in  a  large,  lazy 
way.  Nobody  ever  saw  Moses  himself  mad  yet.  There  is  a  bet  in 
the  Club  that  he  cannot  get  mad.  Moses  says  he  would  like  to  see 
the  man  that  gets  him  mad.  He  rides  a  fifty-six  inch  wheel,  and 
is  correspondingly  big  all  over,  but  not  yet  very  mature,  and  is  prob- 
ably still  under  eighteen.  As  to  the  matter  of  his  iige  and  birthday, 
Moses  says  there  were  so  many  of  them  in  the  fariiiy,  that  he  believes 
the  old  lady  forgot  to  set  it  down.  He  plays  a  cornet,  and  is  the 
bugler  to  the  Club;  also  plays  the  fiddle;  but  plays  an  autophone  best 
of  all,  and  remarks  of  this  latter  instrument  that  it  is  a  great  saving 
of  a  fellow's  brains,  and  "  makes  mighty  interesting  music." 

Bringing  up  the  rear  is  "  No.  6,"  or,  "  the  scribe,"  whom  the  artist 
—  following  nature  and  fact,  as  he  says  —  figures  as  just  recovering 
an  upright  position  from  one  of  his  ordinary  attitudes  of  misfortune. 
It  is  mortifying,  but  cannot  be  helped.  It  must  be  allowed  that  it 
often  happens.  The  Club  attributes  it  sometimes  to  scribe's  palsy, 
sometimes  to  the  bewildering  deflection  of  light  through  his  eye- 
glasses. 


CHAPTER  I. 


I'    i 


DOWN   EAST  ON  A  WHEEL. 

BICYCLE  is  indeed  an  odd-looking  vehicle;  nnd  to 
see  half  a  dozen  fellows  dashing  along  on  them  at  the 
rate  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  is  pretty  sure  to  attract 
^-.  the  undivided  attention  of  people  not  accustomed  to 
the  sight. 

''Look  a  there,  Hiram  I"  we  heard  one  farmer,  in 
a  potato-field  killing  bugs,  sing  out  to  another  gather- 
ing green  pease  the  other  side  of  the  line  wall.  "  Goih 
a'  mighty  I  Only  see  them  fellers  agoing  it  atop  of  them  wagon 
wheels !     What  for  'nation'  sake  be  they  a-settin'  on  ?  " 

Another  time,  as  we  were  passing  through  M Plantation,  far 

up  in  Maine,  in  the  "  greenback  "  region,  we  had  got  an  early  start  one 
morning,  and  were  trundling  along  in  the  wheel  ruts;  and  our  cap- 
tain, in  the  exuberance  of  his  spirits,  had  put  on  a  spurt  and  gone 
ahead.  It  was  about  sunrise.  There  were  farms  scattered  here  and 
there  along  the  road;  and  the  good  folks  were  at  this  hour  just  rousing 
out  to  milk  their  cows.  Dearborn's  bicycle  was  a  nickel-plated  one ; 
and  as  he  darted  noiselessly  along  the  road,  an  old  farmer  standing  at 
the  corner  of  his  barn  with  two  tin  milk-pails  on  his  arm,  caught  sight 
of  him,  and  stopped  short  iathe  middle  of  a  mighty  yawn.  Probably 
his  eyes  were  not  yet  fairly  open.  His  old  lady  was  coming  along  the 
path  from  the  house  with  another  pail. 

"  Marm ! "  he  sang  out  to  her,  "  there  goes  old  Split-huf  himself, 
straddle  of  a  streak  o'  lightnin',  I  vumi  See  his  old  forked  tail 
glisten !  '* 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


%\ 


Before  Dearborn  had  got  fairly  past  and  round  the  turn,  the  rest  of 
us  hove  in  sight,  in  full  chase. 

"  And,  marm  I "  shouted  the  old  man,  "  here  comes  another  of 
'urn  I  —  twin  brother  to  him !  —  and  another!  —  and  another  !  Run, 
marm  —  get  the  Bible!  " 

*'Marm"  disappeared,  but  whether  for  the  holy  volume  or  a 
bumper  of  hot  water,  we  did  not  remain  to  learn. 

The  great  annoyance  is  meeting  teams.  Now,  a  bicycle  has  just 
as  good  a  right  on  the  public  highway  as  any  other  vehicle.  But  the 
public  has  not  yet  come  to  quite  believe  that  it  has.  Drivers  of  teams 
often  act  as  if  they  thought  that  a  bicycler  had  no  rights  whatever 
which  they  ought  to  respect.  It  was  our  policy  to  carefully  avoid  all 
quarrels  on  this  point.  Almost  always,  the  horses  would  prick  up  their 
ears,  and  often  show  signs  of  alarm.  In  all  such  cases,  we  at  once  dis- 
mounted and  stood  quietly  by  our  machines.  The  teams  would  then 
generally  pass  us  without  further  trouble.  But  it  is  necessary  for  the 
bicycler  to  have  both  patience  and  discretion.  Especially  should  he 
use  care  and  courtesy  when  meeting  carriages  driven  by  ladies.  Fre- 
quently in  the  country,  the  farmers'  wives  and  daughters  will  be  met, 
driving  to  and  from  the  village  store.  A  Down-East  farmer's  horse  is 
often  a  very  ticklish  animal,  seldom  more  than  half  broken  from 
a  colt,  and  addicted  to  shying  at  every  new  object  it  sees.  Frequently 
it  is  the  farmer's  pet  beast,  —  never  allowed  to  carry  over  three 
persons  in  the  wagon,  and  they  must  all  walk  up  the  hills, — and  in 
the  matter  of  keeping  and  usage,  sometimes  fares  better  than  the 
farmer's  wife. 

One  day  we  met  a  rackety  old  express  wagon  drawn  by  a  fat, 
rough-haired,  gray  mare,  and  driven  by  an  elderly  woman  whose  face 
was  mostly  concealed  within  the  depths  of  a  very  extraordinary  bon- 
net. The  mare  saw  us, stopped  and  began  to  back  and  prance;  while 
the  poor  old  lady  shook  the  reins,  crying  out  to  her  horse  and  to  us  in 
a  very  thin,  distressed  voice,  "Whoa,  dear  I     Whoa,  dear!     Du  pray, 


22 


THE  KNCCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


young  men,  git  them  frisky-lookin'  things  o'  yourn  out  o'  the  road! 
Dolly's  so  timid  of  'em!  " 

In  a  moment  we  were  off,  and  "  Rike  "  taking  "  Dolly  "  by  the  bit, 
led  her  past — much  to  the  old  aunty's  relief.  "I  dunno  who  you  be," 
she  said  to  him,  "  but  I'm  sure  I'm  very  much  obleeged  to  ye." 

Another  day,  while  passing  through  the  town  of  G ,  we  met  a 

Tartar. 

It  was  quite  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  road  none  too  good. 
Presently  we  saw  a  man  coming  toward  us,  driving  a  flock  of  sheep. 
Not  wishing  to  scatter  the  flock,  we  dropped  ofl*  our  bicycles  and  stood 
aside  for  them  to  pass.  As  the  man  came  nearer  we  saw  that  there 
was  one  of  the  sheep  which  he  was  not  driving  exactly,  but  wheeling 
it  like  a  wheelbarrow;  that  is  to  say,  he  had  the  sheep's  hind-legs  in 
his  hands,  and  was  making  the  creature  walk  before  him  on  his  fore- 
legs. It  struck  us  as  being  a  very  odd  performance.  It  was  a  large 
ram,  with  big,  curling  horns. 

"  That's  one  way  to  drive  a  sheep !  "  Rike  observed. 

"  Wal,  it's  a  good  way,"  replied  the  farmer,  who  was  an  oldish  man 
in  a  drilling  frock,  and  a  very  much  sweated  and  stained  palm-leaf  hat. 

"  A  rather  cruel  way,  I  should  say,"  said  Rike. 

"You  think  so?"  queried  the  old  fellow,  with  a  grin  and  a  broad 
stare  at  our  vehicles. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  exclaimed  Rike,  somewhat  emphatically. 

"  Wal,  now,"  drawled  the  old  man,  with  a  quizzical  look  on  his 
puckered  face,  "if  you  think  I'd  better,  I'll  let  him  down.  I'll  do  most 
anything  to  obleege  sech  a  nice-looking  lot o' young  fellers" — and  he 
let  the  sheep's  hind-legs  drop. 

The  animal  straightened  up,  stamped  one  foot,  and  shook  his  head, 
as  if  the  unnatural  position  he  had  been  in  had  caused  a  rush  of  blood 
in  that  direction.  Then  he  took  a  step  toward  us,  and  before  we  had 
the  least  thought  of  dodging,  gave  Rike  a  tremendous  knock  which 
pitched  him  sprawling  into  the  sand  between  the  wheel-ruts. 


r 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


23 


The  rest  of  us  scrambled  to  get  our  bicycles  out  of  the  way.  And 
of  all  the  haw-haws,  I  never  heard  anything  beat  that  old  fellow's  in 
the  drilling  frock. 

Rike  jumped  up,  but  before  he  could  get  off  his  knees  to  his  feet, 
the  ram  took  him  again  from  behind,  and  sent  him  his  whole  length. 
And  again  that  heartless  old  barbarian  doubled  up  and  laughed.  One 
might  have  heard  him  half  a  mile  off. 


THE  RAM  TOOK  HIM  AGAIN  AND   SENT  HIM   HIS  WHOLE  LENGTH. 


At  this  we  began  to  bestir  ourselves  to  rescue  our  man.  Moses  O. 
seized  a  fence-pole,  and  in  another  moment  would  have  broken  the 
ram's  back,  had  not  the  old  farmer,  breaking  off  in  the  midst  of  his 
laugh,  shouted,  "  Avast  youl "  and  running  adroitly  up,  again  gi*abbed 
the  ram's  hind-legs. 

Rike  had  got  up.  He  was  covered  with  dirt  and  much  ruffled  in 
temper. 


34     M'- 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


"You  are  a  mean  old  party  I"  he  exclaimed.  "If  you  were  not 
quite  so  old  and  gray,  I  would  punch  your  head  for  you !  " 

"  O,  wal  now!  "  drawled  the  ram-wheeler.  "  If  ye  think  best  tu, 
ye  needn't  stan'  fer  that  a  mite.  I  ain't  so  old  yit  that  I  ask  enny 
fa  vers  of  ye."  ' 

He  was  such  a  queer,  tough  old  specimen,  and  so  ready  for  a 
fracas,  that  we  laughed  —  all  but  Wayne. 

"  Come  along,  Rike,"  said  Moses  O.,  "  or  you'll  get  the  worst  of  it 
again!" 

We  got  our  comrade  remounted  and  moved  on.  The  last  we  saw 
of  the  old  farmer  and  his  ram,  he  was  wheeling  the  beast  up  to  a  pair 
of  bars  leading  into  a  pasture  beside  the  road. 

Our  nearest  approach  to  an  accident,  which,  however,  resulted  in 
nothing  worse  than  a  ludicrous  tumblcj  happened  one  afternoon  on  the 

old  country  road  in  the  town  of  W .    After  climbing  a  pretty  steep 

hill,  there  is  here  a  long  descent  to  northward.  We  had  to  toil  up  thr 
hill  on  foot.  But  as  the  descent  from  the  top  did  not  look  very  for- 
midable, we  mounted,  and  with  our  brakes  well  in  hand,  started  to  run 
down.  At  the  foot  of  the  descent  there  is  a  moderately  sharp  turn  in 
the  road,  round  a  clump  of  thick  white  maples;  and  on  the  lower  side 
of  the  turn,  just  round  it,  stands  a  small  district  schoolhouse.  School 
was  in  session  at  the  time,  and  the  door  stood  open. 

We  bore  down  in  grand  style,  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  in  three  min- 
utes, or  less,  and  were  soon  nearing  the  turn.  All  would  have  gone 
well  enough  had  we  not  had  the  misfortune  to  meet  a  very  large  load 
of  hay,  just  coming  round  the  turn,  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen.  We 
did  not  see  the  load  till  within  fifty  yards  of  it.  The  road  was  but  a 
narrow  one.     There  was  but  one  thing  for  us  to  do. 

"Skip  the  gutter,  Charlie!  " 

^^  Sauve  qui -peutV 

"Gee,  Buck!"  yelled  the  bare-armed  teamster  who  was  driving 
with  a  pitchfork.     But  his  gee-ing  came  all  too  late  to  do  us  any  good. 


saw 


min- 

gone 

2  load 

We 

but  a 


f 


/ 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


*7 


We  were  already  in  the  ditch.  There  was  a  tangled  mass  of  rank 
raspberry  bushes,  bull-thistles,  and  mugwort  across  the  gutter  on  the 
lower  side.  "Karzy,"  Moses  O.,  and  "No.  6,"  went  into  that  —  on 
the  fly.  Stein,  a  few  lengths  ahead,  brought  up  in  the  schoolhouse 
wood-pile;  while  the  captain  went  plump  into  the  schoolhouse  entry 
—  came  very  near  riding  bodily  into  the  arms  of  the  school-mistress, 
a  very  comely  young  woman,  who  was  coming  to  the  door  to  see 
what  was  going  on. 

It  was  all  the  work  of  about  three  seconds;  and  meantime,  Rike, 
who  saw  his  best  chance  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  had  shot  along 
the  gutter  past  the  off  ox,  and  went  clear  of  the  load,  all  righ^  But 
his  rapid  passage  frightened  the  steers.  In  spite  of  their  driver's  yells 
they  sheered  suddenly  into  the  little  open  yard  of  the  schoolhouse, 
and  came  near  lodging  the  high  load  against  the  hpuse.  The  wood- 
pile stopped  them,  too;  but  the  doorway  was  completely  blockaded 
with  the  rack-cart  and  hay,  so  that  our  friend  Harold  and  his  bicycle 
were  shut  in  there  along  with  the  school-mistress  and  her  pupils  for 
some  minutes.  What  they  said  to  each  other  has  not  yet  transpired. 
He  did  not  seem  to  us  to  make  such  prompt  eflTorts  to  get  out  as  one 
might  have  supposed  he  would  under  the  circumstances. 

Yet  no  visible  harm  was  done  —  to  any  one ;  and  we  parted  from 
our  suddenly-formed  acquaintance  with  mutual  civilities,  some  five 
minutes  later.  But  the  captain  was  observed  to  look  back  wistfully, 
as  we  trundled  away. 

At  Berwick,  where  we  were  very  pleasantly  entertained  over  a  two 
days'  rain-storm,  the  old  people  told  us  many  stories  of  the  early  set- 
tlement of  the  town,  called  by  the  Indians  Neivichawannock,  and  some 
thrilling  incidents  of  the  Indian  war.  Here  one  of  the  most  heroic 
deeds  of  American  history  was .  performed  by  a  young  lady,  whose 
name  has  been  suffered  to  be  forgotten.  The  savages  were  menacing 
Saco,and  Captain  Wincoln,  of  Berwick,  with  all  the  men  of  the  place, 
marched  to   the  assistance  of  the  Saco  settlers.     While  they  were 


28 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


gone,  a  party  of  Indians  suddenly  attacked  the  house  of  John  Zozier, 
where  there  were  gathered  for  safety,  fifteen  women  and  children. 

These  all  sat  at  the  table  eating  supper,  when  the  Indians  were  seen 
approaching  by  a  young  woman  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  who  gave 
the  alarm,  and,  closing  the  outer  door,  held  it  fast,  while  the  others 
escaped  at  the  rear  of  the  house.  The  savages  cut  through  the  door 
with  their  tomahawks,  but  still  the  brave  jirl  held  fast,  and  it  was  not 
till  one  of  them  had  reached  in  and  repeatedly  struck  her  with  his 
knife  and  hatchet,  that  they  could  gain  an  entrance.  The  girl  fell  at 
her  post —  dead,  as  the  Indians  thought. 

Finding  that  the  house  was  empty,  and  that  the  others  had  fled, 
the  savages  gave  chase,  but  were  only  able  to  overtake  two  small 
children,  whom  they  killed  on  the  spot. 

The  girl,  who  had  thus  bravely  barred  the  door,  lay  senseless  for 
many  hours,  but  was  found  next  day  by.  some  of  Wincoln's  party,  who 
had  returned,  and  was  taken  to  the  garrison-house.  Ultimately  she 
recovered  from  her  wounds.  It  is  a  loss  to  our  history  that  the  name 
of  such  a  heroine  should  have  been  forgotten.    .  ,  ; 

Here,  and  at  Scarborough  and  Falmouth,  the  Indians  committed 
terrible  atrocities.  At  the  latter  place,  on  the  Presumpscot  River, 
remote  from  neighbors,  lived  a  settler  named  John  Wakely,  with  his 
family,  in  a  log-house  which  he  had  lately  built.  Being,  as  they 
thought,  on  good  terms  with  the  Indians,  they  had  cleared  land  and 
planted  crops. 

Without  warning,  the  house  was  attacked  at  noon,  one  day,  by 
eight  savages,  and  the  entire  family  murdered  in  the  most  brutal  man- 
ner, with  the  exception  of  one  little  girl,  whom  they  took  away  into 
captivity,  and  who  lived  with  them  several  years. 

New  Gloucester,  a  day's  ride  farther  to  the  north-east,  was  also  the 
scene  of  many  tragic  incidents  during  the  Indian  wars.  But  we  shall 
remember  it  best  from  our  visit,  of  an  hour  or  so,  to  the  very  inter- 
esting Shaker  village  there. 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


3» 


At  South  Paris,  where  we  arrived  on  the  7th  of  July,  we  stopped 
for  a  day  to  visit  Mount  Mica,  famous  the  world  over  among  mineral- 
ogists for  its  wonderful  red  and  green  tourmalines.  Our  comrade 
Stein  had  quite  looked  forward  to  this  trip  as  one  of  the  "  lions  "  of 
the  tour — for  him;  and  he  has  prepared  a  brief  history  of  the  locality, 
which  we  are  permitted  to  insert. 


MOUNT  MICA. 

WHAT  THE  HAMLIN  BOYS  FOUND  THERE. 

On  the  l^st  day  of  November,  1820,  two  boys,  named  Elijah  1-iamlin  and 
Ezekiel  Holmes,  —  names  destined  later  in  life  to  become  familiar  through- 
out this  country,  —  were  searching  for  minerals  along  the  foot  of  Streaked 
Mountain,  in  the  town  of  Paris,  Maine.  They  were  students  at  the  village 
academy,  and  had  then  just  begun  the  study  of  Mineralogy. 

The  boys  had  been  tramping  through  the  woods  all  the  afternoon,  having 
found  little  of  interest  save  a  few  fragments  of  rose-quartz.  Just  as  the  sun 
was  setting,  they  emerged  from  the  forest  upon  the  brow  of  a  hill  facing 
west.  Here,  tired  from  their  long  walk,  they  sat  down  for  a  few  minutes 
to  rest  and  enjoy  the  surpassing  beauty  of  the  scenery. 

The  chill  of  snow  was  already  in  the  air,  and,  rapt  as  the  two  youths  had 
been  in  the  grandeur  of  the  landscape,  a  shiver  warned  them  to  depart  be- 
fore the  sunlight  faded  out. 

Young  Holmes  ran  down  the  hill  to  return  to  the  village.  Hamlin  was 
following  him  more  leisurely,  when  a  vivid  gleam  of  green  caught  his  eye 
flashing  from  an  object  amid  the  loose  red  dirt,  on  the  root  of  an  upturned 
tree. 

Advancing  quickly  to  the  spot,  he  perceived  a  fragment  of  a  clear,  green 
crys  ,al  lying  in  the  loose  earth.  Its  gem-like  flash  told  him  that  it  was  no 
com  Hon  stone,  and  he  grasped  it  with  a  thrill  of  delight. 

What  wonder  that  the  next  moment  he  made  the  woodland  resound  to  his 
excited  call  after  "Zeke"  to  come  back? 

And  Zeke  was  not  long  coming  back.  At  sight  of  the  crystal  his  keen 
eye  sparkled,  and  he  fell  to  searching  the  earth  about  the  root  and  beneath 
the  leaves  with  that  innate  eagerness  which  always  characterizes  the  born 
mineralogist. 


*, 


32 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


But  twilight,  rapidly  fading  into  darkness,  descended  upon  the  searchers, 
rendering  one  stone  indistinguishable  from  another. 

"  Never  mind  ! "  said  Zeke.     "  We  will  come  up  again  in  the  morning." 
But  during  the  night  a  storm  gathered.     At  daybreak  it  was  snowing 
heavily,  and  a  thick  white  mantle  lay  on  all  the  surrounding  hills.     Winter 
had  come ;  nor  did  the  snow  thaw  until  the  next  April. 

During  all  these  months  the  two 
students  did  not  speak  to  any  one  of 
their  possible  discovery.  Often,  as 
the  spring  advanced,  they  turned 
their  eyes  toward  the  hill,  and  as  soon 
as  its  crest  was  bare,  they  set  off  to 
visit  it  again. 

From  the  tree-root,  where  Hamlin 
had  found  his  crystal,  they  went  up 
to  the  exposed  ledge  at  the  very  crest 
of  the  hill.  Here  a  rich  sight  met 
their  astonished  eyes.  Upon  that 
bare  ledge,  and  in  the  loose  earth 
about  its  edges,  they  found  over 
thirty  almost  perfect  crystals,  which 
from  their  great  beauty  and  trans- 
parency rank  as  true  gems.  They 
found  also  a  great  number  of  imper- 
fect crystals.  In  a  word,  our  two 
students  had  discovered  the  new 
widely  famous  Mount  Mica  — •  so 
named  from  the  quantities  of  mica 
which  subsequent  blasting  has 
thrown  out. 

The  crystals  were  those  wonderful  green  and  red  tourmalines  which  have 
since  gone  to  adorn  some  of  the  choicest  collections  in  both  Europe  and 
America,  and  even  to  be  set  in  kingly  diadems.  But  neither  of  the  boys 
then  knew  their  value. 

Professor  Cleveland,  of  Bowdoin  College,  was  then  known  as  the  leading 
mineralogist  of  the  United  States.  To  him  the  boys  addressed  a  letter,  ^nd 
inclosed  with  it  some  of  the  smaller  crystals. 

The  professor  at  once  replied,  assuring  them  that  their  specimens  were 


"  ZBKB !   ZBKR  I  COMB  BACK  I  " 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


33 


both  rare  and  valuable.  With  boyish  generosity  they  made  up  a  package 
containing  some  of  the  finest  of  the  crystals,  and  sent  it  to  the  professor, 
intrusting  it  to  the  late  Gov.  Lincoln,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  who  was 
about  setting  off  for  Washington. 

At  that  early  day,  much  of  the  journey  to  the  national  capital  had  to  be 
performed  on  horseback.  The  governor  took  the  package,  but  either  he  lost 
it  en  rottte^  or  else  it  was  stolen  from  him.     It  never  reached  its  destination. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  by  some  secret  agency  these  tourmalines  found 
their  way  into  the  cabinets  of  certain  European  mineralogists. 

During  the  two  following  years,  a  great  many  crystals  and  fragments 
were  picked  up  about  the  ledge.  Thus  far,  however,  no  attempt  had  been 
made  to  blast.  But  in  the  spring  of  1823,  Cyrus  and  Hannibal  Hamlin 
(the  same  who  has  since  been  Vice-President  of  the  United  States),  both 
younger  brothers  of  Elijah,  and  then  aged  thirteen  and  fifteen,  determined 
to  explore  the  hill  and  its  ledges. 

As  few,  if  any,  specimens  could  be  found  around  the  ledge,  they  bought  a 
pound  of  powder,  and  borrowing  some  blasting  tools,  attacked  the  principal 
ledge  with  great  spirit. 

It  is  no  easy  task  for  lads  of  this  age  to  drill  and  blast  rock.  Unless 
proper- 
ly held, 
the  drill 
soon 
sticks 
fast  in 
the  hole. 

The 
safe  ty 
fuse  had 

not  then  been  invented. 
All  blasts   had  to    be 
loaded  with  a  wire  in- 
serted in  the  hole,  which  was  afterwards  pulled 
out.     This  tiny  channel  was  then  primed  with 
powder,  which  was  commonly  fired  by  a  train  of 
swingletow,  —  a  dangerous  business  at  best. 

The  two  boys  drilled  five  holes  in  the  ledge,  which  they  loaded  and 
blasted  out,  one  after  the  other.     The  surface  of  the  ledge  had  looked  gray 


34 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


and  weather-worn.  But  the  explosions  threw  out  great  pieces  of  bright- 
colored  le-pidolite^  broad  sheets  of  mica,  and  glittering  fragments  of  quarts  \ 
and  the  last  blast  opened  down  to  a  soft  spot  in  the  ledge  where  the  rock 
had  become  decomposed. 

I^"gg»"g  in  this  with  the  points  of  their  drills,  they  broke  through  into  a 
cavity  which  would  have  held,  perhaps,  two  or  three  bushels.  This  dusty 
hole  was  partly  filled  with  what  seemed  to  be  sand. 

Thrusting  in  his  hand,  Hannibal  groped  in  the  loose  stuff  a  moment,  then 
drew  out  something  which,  glittering  in  his  fingers,  proved  to  be  a  mag- 
nificent tourmaline  crystal,  of  a  rich  green  color,  and  clear  as  a  gem. 

" Hurrah  I  "  shouted  the  lad.  "Hurrah  I  We've  found  a  handsomer  one 
than  'Lige  did  I " 

Well  might  the  boy  hurrah.  They  had  found  the  most  beautiful  tourma- 
line which  the  earth  has  ever  yielded,  perhaps.  It  was  a  perfect  crystal,  per- 
fect at  each  faceted  extremity,  and  finely  formed.  In  length  it  was  two  and 
a  half  inches,  by  two  inches  in  diameter —  a  huge,  clear,  dark-green  gem. 

Scratching  away  with  renewed  eagerness,  the  boys  soon  emptied  the 
"pocket "of  its  contents.  From  it  they  took  out  over  twenty  crystals,  of 
varying  colors  and  tints,  but  mainly  red  and  green.  Some  of  these  were 
fully  three  inches  long  and  an  inch  in  diameter,  banded,  or  rather  clouded, 
red,  white,  and  green.  Of  these  splendid  gems  they  took  out  enough  to 
nearly  fill  a  two-quart  basket;  while  an  ox-cart  was  required  to  enable 
them  to  get  home  their  fine  specimens  of  mica  and  lepidolite.  Altogether, 
this  "  find  "  far  surpassed  those  found  by  their  older  brother,  Elijah.  The 
lads  were  jubilant,  for,  boy-like,  they  had  prosecuted  the  blasting  less  for  the 
love  of  beautiful  specimens  than  for  the  money  they  expected  to  realize  from 
the  sale  of  the  stones. 

They  had  learned  from  Elijah  the  names  of  several  eminent  mineralo- 
gists, both  of  Europe  and  America.  To  these  they  at  once  addressed  let- 
ters, stating  what  they  had  to  sell.  And  from  time  to  time  thereafter,  Cyrus, 
who  had  meanwhile  bought  out  Hannibal's  interest,  sold  the  most  of  the 
gems.  What  sums  he  received  for  them  it  is  now  impossible  to  ascertain  ; 
for  not  many  years  afterwards  he  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  died.  But 
it  is  likely  that  he  received,  in  those  early  days,  but  a  comparatively  trifling 
price  for  the  crystals. 

This  is  all  that  is  really  known  of  the  fate  of  those  wonderful  tourma- 
lines. They  were  dispersed  over  the  world.  Some  of  the  finest  are  said  to 
be  in  the  famous  Imperial  Collection  of  Minerals  at  Vienna. 


DOWN  EAST  ON  A    WHEEL. 


35 


In  1825  Professor  Shepard,  then  a  young  and  enthusiastic  mineralogist, 
obtained  some  fine  tourmalines  here.  And  after  hnn,  the  ill-fated  Professor 
Webster  found  one  or  two  beautiful  crystals. 

Here  Professor  Addison  Verrill,  of  Yale  College,  prosecuted  some  of  his 
boyhood  researches  in  mineralogy,  finding  on  one  occasion  a  very  fine 
nugget  of  tin  weighing  several  pounds. 

A  great  many  persons  have  searched  and  blasted  the  ledges ;  and  it  is 
believed  that  crystals  might  still  be  obtained  by  further  mining.  But  noth- 
ing obtained  here  of  late  can  compare  with  those  exquisitely  beautiful  gems 
which  the  Hamlin  boys  found. 

Dr.  A.  C.  Hamlin,  a  relative  of  the  family,  possesses  what  is  probably 
the  finest  collection  of  Mount  Mica  tourmalines  in  this  country.  One  of  his 
crystals  is  remarkable  for  having  a  red  and  green  shaft,  surmounted  at  its 
faceted  "point"  by  a  snow-white  crown  —  a  veritable  queen  of  crystals. 

Mount  Mica  is  scarcely  a  mountain,  in  the  usual  sense,  but  simply  a 
ledgy  hill  in  a  pasture.  Great  heaps  of  broken  stone  attest  to  the  vigorous 
search  which  later  mineralogists  have  made.  On  the  occasion  of  our  visit  I 
was  able  to  secure  nothing  finer  than  a  good,  clear  specimen  of  lepidolite 
and  a  bit  of  green  tourmaline,  the  fragment  of  a  crystal.  But  the  ledges 
look  as  if  they  might  be  hugging  hidden  treasures  within  their  stony 
bosoms. 


\'  •    ; 


■  J      :..',> 


CHAPTER   II. 


ROUGHER   AND   WILDER   GREW   THE   WAY. 

F  we  had  been  as  expert  riders  as  some  of  whom  we 
have  recently  read,  who  crossed  a  broad,  raging  river 
on  the  ^'stringers"  of  a  dismantled  bridge,  or  had  we 
possessed  bicycles  specially  fitted  to  run  on  railroads, 
we  might  have  got  forward  from  this  point  much  more 
comfortably  on  the  rails  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway. 
The  wagon-road  was  so  bad  that  it  is  a  lasting  monu- 
ment of  what  a  bicycle  can  do,  that  we  covered  the 
distance,  nine  miles,  from  South  to  West  Paris. 

But  a  charming  bit  of  scenery  repaid  us  for  oUr  effort:  Snow's 
Falls,  on  the  Little  Androscoggin  River.  A  farmer  living  hard  by, 
(at  whose  place  we  pulled  up  for  a  draught  of  water,)  told  us  the  fol- 
lowing story  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name. 

Over  a  hundred  years  ago,  when  the  whites  first  began  to  come  into 
this  region,  two  hunters,  named  Snow  and  Jackson,  went  to  the  Falls 
one  afternoon,  either  to  fish  or  to  set  traps.  They  came  up  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  and  had  been  peering  about  the  ledges  round  the 
cataract  for  some  minutes,  when  they  espied  three  Indians  on  the 
other  side,  sitting  on  the  rocks,  with  their  guns  and  tomahawks.  Both 
the  whites  instantly  cocked  their  pieces  and  took  aim  at  the  redskins, 
but  one  of  the  Indians,  discovering  them  at  the  same  moment,  started 
up,  and  in  broken  English  shouted,  ^^  Quarter!  Me  want  quarter  I " 

** Quarter,  you  red  skunk!"  cried  Snow,  contemptuously.  "I'll 
halve  ye,  and  the  devil  may  quarter  ye  I  "    With  that  he  fired,  and 


ROUGHER  AiMD   WILDER^GREW  THE    IVAV. 


37 


shot  the  Indian.  But  one  of  the  other  savages,  firing  at  the  same 
instant,  mortally  wounded  Snow  himself,  who  died  within  a  few  hours. 
Jackson  escaped. 

The  scenery,  both  from 
Mount  Mica  and  hence- 
forward all  along  our  route, 
was  wonderfully  good, 
sometimes  really  grand, 
with  a  certain  peculiar  and 
picturesque  wildness,which 
one  might  travel  far  to  find 
excelled. 

The  farmer  told  us  still  | 

m 

another  story  of  one  of  the 
early  settlers  here,  a  rather 
exciting  tale,  but  one  he 
assured  us  was  true  in 
every  particular;  and  he 
pointed  out  the  farm  where 
this  settler  had  made  his 
first  clearing.  I  had  heard 
the  story  previously,  or  one 
much  like  it,  and  I  think 
that  many  writers  have  made  it  the  foundation  for  a  thrilling  back- 
woods tale.  The  following  is  the  true  version,  as  told  in  the  locality 
where  the  adventure  occurred. 


SNOW'S  FALLS  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  AGO. 


CHASED   BY  A  CATAMOUNT. 

One  spring  morning  the  setder,  whose  name  was  Jackson,  set  off  on  a 
twenty-mile  tramp  to  his  nearest  neighbor's  cabin,  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  P.  'Tiford,  to  procure  potatoes  with  which  to  plant  a  burnt  patch  which  he 
had  recently  cleared.  His  route  lay  through  the  woods  and  was  marked  by 
a  line  of  "  spotted "  trees.     Having  procured  the  potatoes,  he  started  for 


38 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


I 


home.  It  was  afternoon  already ;  but  he  had  planned  to  travel  only  a  part 
of  the  distance  that  day,  and,  spending  the  night  in  the  woods,  to  reach 
home  early  in  the  following  forenoon. 

About  half-way  between  his  neighbor's  cabin  and  his  own,  at  a  point 
where  is  now  situated  one  of  the  villages  of  the  town  of  Woodstock,  famil- 
iarly known  as  "  Pinhook  Village,"  was  a  rude  camp,  erected  by  trappers 
whose  mink,  sable,  and  otter  lines  were  set  all  the  way  from  New 
Gloucester  to  the  Androscoggin  River  in  Rumford. 

Here  Jackson  decided  to  pass  the  night.  It  was  late  when  he  reached 
the  camp.     Throwing  from  his  back  the  bag  that  contained  the  potatoes,  he 


&*:..~.-^=^ii« 


A  MAINE  LAKE. 

gathered  wood  for  his  fire,  got  his  supper,  and  was  about  making  prepara- 
tions to  lie  down  to  sleep,  when  he  was  startled  by  a  loud,  savage  scream 
from  back  in  the  forest  toward  the  river.  In  an  instant  he  knew  his  peril, 
and  his  hair  almost  stood  on  end.  The  rude  camp  in  which  he  had  pur- 
posed passing  the  night  was  a  mere  bark  shelter  from  the  rain,  and  no  pro- 
tection against  the  assaults  of  any  strong  animal.  He  was  unarr.ed  ;  he  had 
not  taken  with  him  even  the  axe,  which  is  so  often  carried  by  backwoods- 
men.    T^ie  beast  had  smelled  his  fried  pork. 

What  was  he  to  do?     That  scream  he  knew  too  weli,  so  merciless  in  its 


ROUGHER  AND   WILDER  GREW  THE   WAY. 


39 


shrillness  and  strength.  No  wonder  that  the  Indians  called  the  beast  that 
uttered  it  the  "devil,"  and  that  the  settlers  adopted  the  name.  It  was  the 
well-known  panther  of  our  northern  woods. 

The  frightened  man  felt  that  his  only  hope  was  in  flight.  Grasping  his 
bag  of  potatoes,  and  a  smaller  bag  which  contained  his  food,  he  set  off 
toward  his  solitary  home  and  ran  for  several  miles,  hearing  nothing  of 
the  animal,  and  beginning  to  hope  that  it  had  been  content  to  drive  him 
from  the  camp. 

But  by  and  by  that  dreadful  scream  again  reached  his  ears ;  and  he 
knew  then  that  the  animal  had  given  chase.  With  increased  speed  he 
rushed  forward. 

In  a  few  moments  the  piercing  shriek  of  the  pursuing  catamount  rent  the 
air  again.  The  animal  seemed  to  be  in  the  trees  just  behind ;  and  fearing 
lest  it  should  spring  upon  him  next  moment,  and  feeling  the  dire  necessity 
of  making  more  haste,  the  poor  fellow  dropped  his  precious  bag  of  potatoes. 
Relieved  of  this  burden,  he  went  on  as  rapidly  as  the  trail  and  darkness 
would  allow. 

For  a  considerable  time  he  heard  no  more  of  the  panther.  The  bag  of 
potatoes  had  at  least  awakened  the  creature's  curiosity  sufficiently  to  cause  it 
to  stop  to  examine  it.  A  gleam  of  hope  now  came  to  the  settler.  He  had 
little  that  the  panther  would  eat ;  but  if  the  beast  could  be  detained  by  that 
which  was  not  food,  he  might,  by  dropping  such  articles  as  he  wore,  gain 
time  for  escape.  ' 

Forward  he  sped.  But  ten  miles  is  a  long  stretch.  Could  he  accom- 
plish it  before  the  panther  would  spring  upon  him?  His  heart  beat  wildly 
as  minute  after  minute  passed.  Then  again  the  sharp  scream  pierced  the 
still  night-air  of  the  forest.  So  near  did  it  seem,  that  he  almost  expected 
the  panther  would  leap  upon  him  from  the  trees.  His  little  bag  of  provi- 
sions was  next  dropped ;  and  for  a  time  it  was  evident  that  the  fierce  beast 
had  relinquished  the  chase.  But  it  was  only  for  a  time.  Again  the  start" 
ling  cry  was  heard  in  the  distance,  then  nearer.  In  an  agony  of  fear,  Jack- 
son dropped  his  hat,  and  when  the  panther  again  drew  near,  his  coat,  and 
finally  his  vest. 

This  was  the  last  article  of  clothing  which  he  could  remove  while  con- 
tinuing his  flight.  As  this  was  thrown  away,  the  agonized  man  felt  that  his 
last  hope  was  gone.  On,  on  he  rushed.  The  panther,  uttering  at  intervals 
its  fierce  screams,  followed  after.  Why  the  creature  delayed  its  attack 
seems  unaccountable.     Perhaps  it  found  no  good  position  from  which  to 


40 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


make  its  leap.  Perhaps  it  was  pla3'ing  with  its  prey.  Possibly  it  was  too 
cowardly  to  spring  upon  the  man  unless  sure  cf  an  advantage.  With  des- 
perate energy  the  settler  fled  on.     His  strength  was  giving  out. 

The  clearing  about  his  cabin  at  last  came  into  view.  Behind  him  he 
heard  the  quick  leaps  of  the  panther.  Must  he  perish  just  within  sight  of 
his  home? 

With  a  last  effort  of  despair  he  nerved  himself  for  a  final  struggle.  In 
a  few  moments  the  woods  ahead  of  him  became  brighter.  He  had  reached 
the  clearing. 

But  between  him  and  his  home  lay  the  river.  This  must  be  forded.  He 
leaped  the  bank  and  plunged  into  the  stream.  As  he  urged  his  way 
through  the  water,  the  panther  came  to  the  clearing,  and  bounding  across 
it,  leaped  into  the  stream  scarcely  twenty  yards  behind  him.  But  here  the 
settler  had  the  advantage.  His  progress  through  the  water  -vas  faster  than 
that  of  the  panther ;  he  gained  a  little  on  his  pursuer.  A  little  back  from 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  stood  his  cabin.  What  if,  even  at  its  door, 
the  maddened  animal  should  overtake  him  ! 

As  he  reached  the  bank,  he  shouted  to  his  wife  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
She  heard  him  cry  out.  Alarmed,  and  assured  that  danger  must  be  at 
hand,  she  flew  to  the  door  and  opened  it.  Up  the  bank  at  a  headlong  run 
came  the  settler,  and  gasping  for  breath,  sprang  into  the  house  —  staggered, 
then  fell  prostrate  upon  the  floor. 

Quick  as  thought,  his  wife  shut  the  door  and  dropped  the  bar  into  its 
socket.  Next  moment,  with  a  shock  that  made  the  cabin  tremble,  the  cata- 
mount bounded  against  the  door. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  measures  employed  by  his  wife  brought 
Jackson  back  to  consciousness.  Such  terrible  exertion  as  he  had  made 
would  have  cost  a  less  hardy  man  his  life. 

Next  morning  Jackson's  hair,  which  had  been  dark  brown,  or  black, 
was  found  to  have  turned  white  —  either  from  the  fright  or  his  over-exer- 
tion. His  little  boy,  six  years  old,  said  that  he  saw  the  colt  look  in  at  the 
window-pane  two  or  three  times  after  his  "  pa  "  ran  home  that  night.  No 
doubt  the  panther  was  lurking  about  the  cabin. 

By  the  next  day,  however,  Jackson  was  able  to  be  astir,  and  wishing  to 
get,  if  possible,  the  clothing  he  had  thrown  away,  he  went  over  the  trail 
which  had  been  the  scene  of  his  terrible  flight.  This  time,  with  proper 
arms,  he  felt  that  he  would  not  be  unwilling  to  meet  his  pursuer.  On  reach- 
ing the  place  where  he  had  dropped  one  after  another  of  his  garments,  he 


ROUGHER  AND   WILDER  GREW  THE   WAY. 


^ 


found  them  torn  into  shreds  by  the  panther's  claws.  The  prov'sion-bag  had 
been  rent  open  and  the  food  devoured,  while  the  potatoes  were  scattered 
around  the  spot  where  they  had  been  dropped. 

Rougher  and  hillier  grew  the  road  —  hills  such  as  metropolitan 
bicyclers  never  dreamed  of.  The  day  was  hot.  Climbing  so  many 
long  hills  made  us  very  thirsty.  We  had  frequently  to  call  at  the 
farm-houses  for  water;  there  was  none  elsewhere. 

Our  worthy  captain  in  particular  seemed  to  be  a  great  sufferer  for 
water;  he  called  at  about  every  other  house.  But  we  began  to 
observe  that  in  this  matter  he  was  influenced  much  by  the  faces  he 
saw  at  the  open  windows  and  doors.  If  a  fair  young  pink-and-white 
face  chanced  to  be  seen  at  a  window,  the  captain  was  always  very 
thirsty.  He  would  call  —  for  water  —  alone  if  the  rest  of  us  did  not 
care  to.  Indeed,  he  seemed  to  prefer  calling  alone;  and  now  and  then 
he  would  not  catch  us  up  for  a  mile  or  two. 

Chaff  failed  to  bring  him  to  order.  The  Club  grew  scandalized. 
Naturally  the  others  did  not  like  the  idea  of  his  running  a  monopoly 
which  their  modesty  forbade  to  them;  and  this  feeling  culminated 
toward  night  in  the  biggest  joke  of  the  tour,  a  double-dyed,  practical 
joke. 

Dearborn  was  behind  —  for  the  fourth  or  fifth  time  —  when  the 
rest  of  us  came  to  where  the  road  forked,  and  a  rather  tall  guide- 
board,  with  outstretched  finger,  said,  ^* Bryant^ s  Pond  3  Miles.^^  We 
had  planned  to  stop  at  this  village  overnight.  The  glance  of  Moses 
O.  was  observed  to  dwell,  in  a  contemplative  sort  of  way,  on  that 
guide-board  after  reading  the  inscribed  information.  "I  have  it!  "  he 
exclaimed  with  a  lazy  laugh.  "Just  hold  my  machine,  Karzy.  Fve 
a  trick  worth  all  of  his!'^^ 

(^His  referred  to  Captain  Harold.) 

"O  Moses  I  what  is  it?"  we  asked. 

"  Look  sharp  I "  said  Moses  O. 

He  "  shinned  up  "  that  guide-post,  and  wrenching  off  the  board 


42 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


with  one  tug  of  those  Hoosier  arms,  tacked  it  by  the  protruding  nails 
to  the  other  side  of  the  post.  The  index-finger  now  pointed  along 
the  other  road. 

" That  will  fetch  him,  I  reckon,"  Moses  remarked.     "  See? " 

We  saw,  inwardly  consented, 
and    proceeded    onward    without  ^^ 
delay. 

We  reached  the  tavern  at  the 
village  by  the  Pond,  washed,  and 
sat  down  out  on  the   piazza,  to  f 
rest  and  wait   for  supper.      The 


MOSES  O.  TURNING  THE  GUIDE-POST. 

captain  had  not  come.  By  and  by  we  ate  supper.  Still  he  did  not 
arrive.  We  began  to  fear  that  he  might  have  missed  his  toay.  It 
was  not  till  twilight  had  begun  to  fall  that  our  belated  one  put  in  his 
appearance. 


ROUGHER  AND  WILDER  GREW  THE  WA  V. 


43 


"Well,  wherever  have  you  been?"  the  others  all  shouted  in  a 
chorus  of  reproach.     "We've  been  very  uneasy  about  you  —  very!" 

Dearborn  carried  it  oft'  pretty  well.  Whether  he  took  it  all  in  or 
not,  we  could  not  tell. 

He  had  met  some  very  agreeable  people  back  along,  he  said,  and 
hoped  %ue  would  all  excuse  him. 

He  seemed  tired,  and  lay  down  on  a  settee,  as  not  much  disposed 
to  talk. 

After  a  time,  Moses  O.  slyly  beckoned  the  rest  of  us  into  the  hall. 
He  had  taken  the  cyclometer  off  the  c  ptain's  bicycle.  It  indicated 
for  that  day  a  little  over  twenty-seven  miles.  Those  on  the  others, 
belonging  to  the  rest  of  the  Club,  marked  but  fifteen  and  a  half. 

No  further  allusion  was  ever  made  to  the  circumstance.  But  our 
comrade  was  seldom  thirsty  artcr  that. 


CHAPTER  III. 


GOOD-BYE,   BICYCLES.       OFF   TO   THE   LAKES. 


K., 


ETTING  off  early  next  morning  from  Bryant's  Pond, 
we  pushed  on  to  "  Pinhook,"  where  are  located  some 
of  the  richest  of  the  Maine  silver  mines,  the  name  of 
one  of  which,  the  "  Sigotch,"  keeps  itself  in  memory 
from  its  oddity. 

By  nine  o'clock  we.  had  reached  'the  ferry  over  the 
Androscoggin,  at  "Rumford  Point/'  in  the  town  of 
Rumford.  Stein  asked  several  people  whom  we  met 
here,  whether  the  town  had  taken  its  name  from  Count  Rumford 
(Benjamin  Thompson),  the  most  justly  famous  of  American  discov- 
erers in  physics,  and  who  first  demonstrated  the  grand  doctrine  of  the 
Correlation  of  the  Natural  Forces. 

No  one  with  whom  we  spoke  could  satisfy  us  on  this  point.  Any 
town  might  be  proud  to  bear  Rumford's  name,  for  his  is  a  fame  that 
grows  brighter  year  by  year. 

The  road  from  the  Androscoggin,  northward  through  Andover 
Village,  is  fairly  good.  The  sand  dragged  us  somewhat,  but  there  are 
few  bad  hills.  The  road  follows  the  valley  of  the  beautiful  Ellis  River, 
a  tributary  of  the  Androscoggin,  the  latter  a  broad,  noble  river  two 
hundred  yards  wide  at  the  ferry.  It  is  the  outlet  of  the  lake  system, 
toward  which  we  were  making  our  way,  and,  lower  down  its  course, 
turns  the  great  cotton-mills  of  Lewiston. 

Ten  miles  below  the  ferry  are  Rumford  Falls,  (one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,)  which  we  wished  much  to  visit,  as  thej'  are  said  to  be 
grandly  picturesque.     But  the  river  road  was  sandy ;  and  of  sand  we 


GOOD-BYE,  BICYCLES.     | 


45 


had  come  to  have  a  well-grounded  horror.  Hills  a  bicjxler  can 
endure,  but  a  five-mile  stretch  of  sand  fills  his  soul  with  a  nameless 
terror,  and  his  mouth  with  gall  and  bitterness. 

Our  bicycles  were  of  English  make  —  all  save  Karzy's:  his  was 
a  forty-eight  inch  "  Colum- 
bia." We  had  supposed, 
as  many  do,  that  the  im- 
ported "  machines  "  were 
the  best;  and  perhaps  they 
are  for  England.  But  at 
the  end  of  this  trip  it  was 
the  opinion  of  our  whole 
party,  that  Karzy  had  done 
his  work  easier  than  any 
other  man  in  the  Club. 

Six  miles  north  of  the 
ferry  we  passed  White 
Cap  Mountain  on  the 
right,  and  the  Lead  Mine 
Mountain  on  the  left  of  the 
river  valley,  both  fine,  bold 
peaks,  and,  pushing  on, 
reached  the  hotel  at  the 
village  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore noon,  after  a  ride  of 
thirty  miles  per  cyclom- 
eter. 

Andover  Village  is  the 
head  of  bicycle  navigation.  Indeed,  it  took  pluck  to  reach  this  point 
even.  Unless  the  reader  wishes  to  do  something  bordering  on  the 
heroic,  we  would  not  advise  him  to  try  to  go  from  Boston  to  An- 
dover, Maine,  on  a  bicycle.     But  it  can  be  done. 


UPPER  FALL,  CATARACT  BROOK. 


^6  THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 

We  found  ourselves  pretty  tired,  and  rested  till  after  dinner,  then 
drove  to  Cataract  Brook,  five  miles  out  of  the  village.  The  btook,  a 
stream  large  enough  to  turn  a  mill,  falls  down  over  cliffs  and  among 
rocks,  after  a  most  fantastic  and  picturesque  fashion. 

Karzy  found  work  for  his  pencil  here. 

There  are  many  drives  and  attractions  of  this  kind  about  Andover. 
City  people,  who  wish  an  easy,  quiet  summer  in  the  country,  can 
nowhere   find  a   much   more   desirable   resort.     For  ourselves,  we 


SYLVAN   CASCADE,  CATARACT   BROOK. 

already  had  a  more  extended  programme  in  prospect.  We  wished  to 
penetrate  some  wilderness,  where  we  might  find  game  that  would 
furrish  exciting  sport.  The  sea-shore  and  summer  watering-place 
business  had  been  "done"  to  satiety  by  our  party.  We  wanted 
something  with  adventure  and  a  spice  of  peril  in  it;  something  to 
draw  one  out  and  call  for  a  vigorous,  manly  effort.  Fishing  for  perch, 
and  make-believe  hunting,  had  quite  lost  its  charm  for  us.  This  time 
our  heads  were  up  for  a  genuine  article  in  the  way  of  sport.  For- 
tunately we  were  not  pinched  for  cash,  and  having  two  months  at  Our 


GOOD-BYE,  BICYCLES.      OFF  TO   THE  LAKES. 


47 


disposal,  were  determined  to  see  what  there  was  in  this  north-east 
country. 

Bright  and  early  next  morning  we  were  en  routt,  by  spring-board 
and  span,  for  Welokennebacook,  or  Richardson  Lake,  distant  four- 
teen miles,  by  a  new  road  through  the  woods  from  Andover  Village. 
At  this  latter  place  we  said  good-bye  to  our  faithful  "  wheels,"  which 
had  brought  us  so  far,  and  so  well.  They  were  packed  up  and  held 
to  await  our  order.     Here,  too,  W'2  had  found  our  trunks,  containing 

m 


THE  DEVIL'S  DEN. 

our  outfit  for  the  woods,  awaiting  us:  our  double-barrelled  breech- 
loaders, ammunition,  fishing-rods,  etc. 

Parties  going  on  a  tour  to  the  Lakes,  from  Andover,  commonly 
hire  a  guide.  Many  woodsmen,  hereabouts,  make  "guiding"  their 
business.  We  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  one  of  the  best  (whom 
we  will  call  "Fred"),  who  furnished  a  tent,  and  an  entire  camping- 
out  kit.  Three  dollars  per  day  were  his  terms;  and  without  care  and 
bother  to  us,  he  bought  such  supplies  as  we  would  need;  though  of 
course  we  paid  for  these.  '  . 


48 


THE  KNOCK^AROUT  CLUB. 


The  forest  road  from  the  village  up  to  the  South  Arm  of  the  Lake 
gives  a  very  enjoyable  ride,  and  there  is  some  odd  scenery  on  the 
way.  After  five  miles  the  spring-board  halts  to  let  passengers  go  to 
see  "The  Devil's  Den,"  a  strange,  water-worn  chasm  in  the  ledges, 
near  by  where  Black  Brook  roars  and  gurgles  down. 

Hard  by  ihe  Den  arc 
several  picturesque  falls, 
where  the  wa'ccr  has  fur- 
rowed deep  grooves  and 
basins  in  the  solid  granite. 
It  is  said  that  "  formerly  a 
mill.  Owned  by  a  man 
named  Smith,  stood  over 
it.  At  that  time  the  wa- 
ters of  Black  Brook  emp- 
tied into  the  Y  over  the 
wall  of  solid  .^^.^  which 
formed  the  back,  and  made 
their  escape  through  an 
opening  in  the  rock  at  the 
lower  end."  The  shape  of 
the  Den,  inside,  is  like  the 
letter  U,  turned  sideways, 
with  the  bottom  of  the 
letter  towards  the  brook. 
The  wheel  vvas  hung  in 
the  Den,  under  the  mill, 
and  so  near  the  precipice 
over  which  the  water  fell,  as  to  be  driven  by  the  force  of  its  fall. 
But  the  mill  has  long  since  fallen  to  decay,  and  the  waters  of  Black 
Brook  have  been  turned  from  the  Den,  and  have  worn  a  new  channel 
through  the  rocks  a  few  yards  beyond.    The  bottom  of  the  Den  is 


SILVER  RIPPLE  CASCADE,  BLACK   BROOK 


OFF  TO   THE  LAKES. 


49 


now  partially  covered  with  rubbish  and  broken  timbers,  that  have 
fallen  in  as  the  building  has  succumbed  to  the  ravages  of  time  and 
the  elements.  Across  the  top  of  the  Den,  where  the  mill  stood, 
there  yet  remains  one  large  timber  that  spans  the  awful  chasm. 
Upon  this  one  may  walk  out,  and  get  a  better  view  of  the  gorge 
through  which  the  waters  escaped.  If  you  are  troubled  with  dizzi- 
ness, however,  you  had  better  keep  off  it,  as  a  fall  would  be  very 
likely  to  spoil  your  trout-lishing  at  the  lakes. 

The  following  legend  is  connected  with  the  Den. 


I 


IS 


THE   LEGEND. 

Many  years  ago,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Brown,  who  was  more  of  a  hunter 
and  trapper  than  anything  else,  came  down  to  Andover  from  Canada. 
After  stopping  in  the  village  a  few  weeks,  he  came  out  here  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  village  people,  built  him  a  log-house. 
At  that  time  Indians  w<  re  thick  about  the  lakes,  and  hunting  and  trapping 
was  anything  but  safe  business.  Here  Brown  lived,  miles  from  other  houses, 
without  any  companion  but  a  dog  and  a  horse.  Occasionally  he  would 
make  a  visit  to  the  town,  trade  his  furs  at  the  stores  for  necessaries  in  the 
way  of  groceries  and  ammunition,  and  then  return  to  his  log  cabin,  not  to  be 
seen  for  another  long  spell.  One  winter  and  spring,  two  years  after  he  had 
built  his  cabin,  the  Indians  were  particularly  troublesome  and  daring,  and 
Brown  had  not  made  his  appearance  at  Andover  for  a  long  time.  At  the 
principal  store,  one  day,  a  number  of  the  villagers  had  accidentally  met,  a'<c' 
were  wondering  what  had  become  of  the  eccentric  hunter,  when  Brown's 
dog  walked  into  the  store,  so  thin  and  lank  they  scarcely  knew  him.  He 
was  almost  famished,  and  Mudge,  the  storekeeper,  gave  him  something  to 
eat.  After  the  dog  had  eaten,  he  acted  very  strangely — would  go  to  the 
door  and  look  out,  then  come  back,  and,  looking  the  men  wistfully  in  the 
face,  would  give  utterance  to  a  mournful  'lowl.  Those  present  thought 
something  had  happened  to  Brown,  for  the  dcg  was  never  known  to  come  to 
the  village  betbre,  alone.  After  talking  the  matter  over,  they  raised  a  com- 
pany of  twenty  men,  and  the  next  morning,  well  armed,  they  started  fo«* 
Brown's  cabin,  the  dog  taking  the  lead,  just  as  if  he  understood  all  that  was 
going  on.  When  they  arrived  here  they  found  the  cabin  burned  to  the 
ground)  and  the  bones  of  Brown,  which  had  been  picked  clean  by  the 


50 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


wolves,  were  all  that  was  left  of  the  unfortunate  hunter.  Near  by,  beneath 
a  rudely  constructed  grave,  they  found  the  remains  of  four  Indians,  showing 
that  Brown  must  have  sold  his  life  dearly.  They  dug  a  grave,  and  buried 
the  bones,  and  then  returned  home,  Mudge  keeping  the  dog,  who  lived  for 
some  year??  after  his  master's  death.  The  horse,  and  everything  else  of  any 
value,  the  redskins  had  taken  away  with  them. 

Farther  on,  the  road  threads  a  tremendous  ravine,  betwixt  steep, 
craggy   mountains.     This  is  the  celebrated  "Andover  Notch."     At 


SCREW-AUGER   FALLS,  BEAR  RIVER. 

one  point  the  way  is  but  a  ticklish  trail,  along  the  brink  of  a  precipice. 
There  is  some  grand  scenery  here,  scarcely  Surpassed  in  the  White 
Mountains. 

High  up  the  face  of  a  bold  mountain,  the  driver  pointed  out  a 
black  hole,  which  he  called  "The  Devil's  Oven." 

Moses  O.  remarked  that  "  the  Old  Fellow  seemed  to  own  a  good 
deal  of  real  estate  hereabouts." 


OFF  TO  THE  LAKES. 


51 


Several  springs  of  exquisitely  cool,  fresh  water,  were  passed; 
and  ere  long,  a  high,  perpendicular  ledge,  called  "Moody's  Crag," 
was  pointed  out,  concerning  which  Mr.  Charles  A.  J.  Farrar,  who 
has  written  much  of  interest  concerning  this  region,  relates  the 
following  — 

TRAGIC  INCIDENT. 

One  evening,  a  man  named  Moody,  with  several  others  who  were  out 
hunting,  heard  wolves  howling  on  the  mountain  above  the  ledge.  They 
started  up  the  mountain,  intending  to  make  it  hot  for  the  wolves.  Moody  led 
the  way,  and,  when  just  above  the  ledge,  a  small  tree  that  he  had  hold  of, 
gave  way,  and  before  he  could  catch  at  anything  else,  down  he  went.  He 
struck  first  on  a  little  shelf  of  the  ledge,  about  a  third  of  the  way  down,  which 
broke  his  fall  and  some  of  his  bones  at  the  same  time.  Before  he  could 
secure  himself,  over  he  went  again,  and  landed  about  a  third  further  down, 
on  a  little  spur  projecting  from  the  main  precipice,  upon  which  grew  a  few 
small  bushes.  Before  he  could  get  hold  of  these,  he  again  fell,  striking  heavily 
at  the  bottom  of  the  rock.  His  companions  made  a  stretcher  and  took  him 
out  to  the  village.  A  doctor  was  called,  and  it  was  found  that  the  unfortu- 
nate man  had  broken  both  his  arms  and  legs,  and  his  collar-bone,  and  from 
a  fearful  cut  in  his  head  some  of  his  brains  were  oozing.  Yet,  in  spite  of 
this,  he  managed  to  get  wt',  went  to  sea  and  was  drowned.  The  circum- 
stance brings  to  mind  the  old  adage,  "A  man  who  is  born  to  be  drowned 
can't  die  ashore." 


Presently  a  thunder-squall,  for  which  this  "Notch"  is  somewhat 
noted,  burst  upon  us.  We  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in  our  rubber 
coats,  in  haste. 

,  At  length  the  "Arm"  of  the  lake  opened  to  view  betwixt  the 
mountains,  and  ere  long  we  were  in  sight  of  a  wretched  little  hovel, 
humorously  yclept  "  Comfort,"  on  a  bit  of  board  over  the  door. 

The  sharp,  fai-echoing  whistle  of  the  little  steamer  Welokenne' 
bacook  broke  the  forest  stillness;  and  the  spring-board  rattled  up  to 
the  landing.     Already  the  sun  was  shining  again.     Mr.  Farrar,  who 


52 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


owns  the  steamer,  and  who  is  doing  a  great  deal  to  make  this  pleasant 
region  accessible  to  the  public,  was  on  board,  and  gave  us  kindly 
greeting. 

The  "  Arm "  is  a  fine,  deep  ba}',  walled  on  both  sides  by  high, 
forest-clad  ridges.  In  a  few  minutes  the  steamer  was  off  for  Middle 
Dam,  where  there  is  a  "  Camp,"  at  which  tourists  are  entertained.  In 
the  river  below  the  dam  there  is  said  to  be  good  trout-fishing.  Our 
experience  the  day  we  fished  here  was  not  remarkable,  but  it  may  not 
have  been  altogether  the  fault  of  the  speckled  trout.     A  goodly  num- 


STEAMER   WELOKENNEBACOOK. 

ber  are  taken  here  each  season,  some  of  them  very  large,  —  we  heard 
of  one  weighing  ten  pounds;  and  I  subjoin  a  statement  as  to  the 
weight  of  a  catch  made  at  Upper  Dam,  which  we  saw  recorded 
there: 

"  Frank  E.  Taylor,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  J.  H.  Rhodes,  New  York 
city,  took  twenty-seven  trout  here,  weighing  one  hundred  and  eight 
pounds,  an  average  of  four  pounds  each.  This  is  one  of  the  finest 
catches  of  trout  ever  taken  at  the  Upper  Dam.     The  separate  weights 


OFF  TO   THE  LAKES. 


S3 


were,  6^,  6|,  4^,  2|,  3^,  3I,  3,  4,  4I,  5I,  4,  3I,  6,  31,  4,  3,  31,  51,  3»  Ay 
61,  4,  2^,  2I,  3I,  2,  and  5  pounds  each. 

After  a  brief  stop  at  the  "  Middle  Dam  Camp,"  the  steamer  turned 
back,  and  bore  away  through  the  "  Narrows "  and  up  the  main  lake 
for  the  Upper  Dam. 

At  this  point,  where  the  stream  from  the  Upper  Lakes  falls  into 
Welokennebacook,  there  is  a  small  village  of  camps,  where  various 
clubs  of  tourists  spend  a  few  weeks  each  year,  and  a  large  farm-house, 
where  board  can  be  obtained. 


;i^^si«^fej5S 


-ryr^i^^^^'-r.  J^  , 


^^Mt'^fr'" 


-  r*.      -*4W 


"lAft^"-  ''■''' 


THE   UPPER   UAM. 

Upper  Dam  is  one  of  the  places  visited  and  celebrated  so  humor- 
ously by  Theodore  Winthrop,  on  his  tour  "  down  east."  It  was  here 
that  the  famous  cook,  Joe  Bourgogne,  practised  the  culinary  art,  of 
whom  the  irresistible  Theodore  relates:  — 

/ 

JOE  BOURGOGNE. 

Our  luxurious  new  friends  had  been  favored  by  Fate  with  a  French- 
Canadian  cook,  himself  a  Three  of  Freres  Proven^aux.  Such  was  his  rep- 
utation.    We  saw  by  the  eye  of  him,  and  by  his  nose,  formed  for  compre- 


It 

I 


54 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


hending  fragrances,  and  by  the  lines  of  refined  taste  converging  from  liis 
whole  face  towards  his  mouth,  that  he  was  one  to  detect  and  sniff  gastronomic 
possibilities  in  the  humblest  materials.  Joseph  Bourgogne  looked  the  cook. 
His  phiz  gave  us  faith  in  him  :  eyes  small  and  discriminating ;  nose  upturned, 
nostrils  expanded  and  receptive ;  mouth  saucy,  in  the  literal  sense.  His 
voice,  moreover,  was  a  cook's,  —  thick  in  articulation,  dulcet  in  tone.  He 
spoke  as  if  he  deemed  that  a  throat  was  created  for  better  uses  than  labori- 
ously manufacturing  words,  —  as  if  the  object  of  the  mouth  were  to  receive 
tribute,  not  to  give  commands,  —  as  if  that  pink  stalactite,  his  palate,  were 


LAKK   WELOKENNEI'.ACOOK. 

more  used  by  delicacies  entering,  than  by  rough  words  or  sorry  sighs  going 
out  of  the  inner  caverns. 

When  we  find  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  our  minds  are  at  ease. 
The  future  becomes  satisfactory  as  the  past.  Anticipation  is  glad  certainty, 
not  anxious  doubt. 

....  The  average  world  must  be  revenged  upon  genius.  Greatness 
must  be  punished  by  itself  or  another.  Joseph  Bourgogne  was  no  exception 
to  the  laws  of  misery  of  genius.  He  had  a  distressing  trait,  whose  exhibition 
tickled  the  dura  ilia  of  the  reapers  of  the  forest.  Joseph,  poet-cook,  was 
sensitive  to  new  ideas.  This  sensitiveness  to  the  peremptory  thought  made 
him  the  slave  of  the  wags  of  Damville.     Whenever  he  had  anything  in  his 


OFF  TO   THE  LAKES. 


55 


hands,  at  a  stern,  quick  command,  he  would  drop  it  nervously.  Did  he 
approach  the  table  with  a  second  dish  of  pork  and  beans,  a  yellow  dish  of 
beans,  browned  delicately  as  a  Sevres  vase,  then  would  some  full-fed  rogue, 
waiting  until  Joseph  was  bending  over  some  devoted  head,  say  sharply, 


CAMP   BELLEVUE,  LAKE  MOLECHUNKAMUNK. 

"  Drop  that,  Josepl  " —  whereupon  down  went  the  dish  and  contents,  empor- 
ridging  the  poll  and  person  of  the  luckless  wight  beneath.  Always,  were 
his  burden,  pitcher  of  water,  armful  of  wood,  axe  dangerous  to  toes,  mirror, 
or  pudding,  —  still  followed  the  same  result.  And  when  the  poet-cook  had 
done  the  mischief,  he  would  stand  shuddering  at  his  work  of  ruin,  and  sigh, 
and  curse  his  too  sensitive  nature. 


\ 


CHAPTER   IV. 


CAMPING   OUT. 


E  wanted  to  try  camping  out,  Karzy  in  particular.  So 
the  next  day  (we  spent  our  first  night  at  Upper  Dam 
Farm)  Fred  took  us  in  a  sail-boat,  with  our  outfit,  to 
Metaluk,  or  Metallic,  Point,  down  at  the  "Narrows." 
Here  there  is  a  fine  sandy  beach,  on  the  east  shore  just 
below  Metaluk  Brook.  Back  a  little  fi-om  the  beach 
there  are  scattered  pines,  stubs,  and  low  bushes;  but 
the  sand  extends  for  a  long  way  amongst  the  pines.  Altogether  it 
is  a  pleasant  spot.  There  is  a  splendid  chance  to  go  in  bathing.  We 
tested  it  directly,  but  found  the  water  somewhat  chilly. 

Two  herons  were  started  up  here  while  we  were  landing.  They 
flew  off  at  a  slow,  loping  flight,  to  the  tops  of  some  tall  pines,  a  mile 
below,  where  they  had  their  nests. 

The  site  selected  for  our  tent  was  back  a  few  rods  from  the  shore, 
where  the  pines  broke  off  the  rather  too  fresh  wind.  It  was  an  A  tent, 
ten  by  eleven  feet.  Two  forked  stakes,  a  pole,  and  some  tent-pins, 
were  all  the  preparations  needed  to  pitch  it.  These  were  soon  cut  and 
driven,  when  our  little  white  canvas  house  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic 
under  Fred's  experienced  hands.  Hard  by  was  a  big  pine  stump, 
weathered,  gray,  and  dry.  Against  this  a  fire  was  kindled.  Rike  and 
Harold  cut  fuel  with  the  two  axes  Fred  had  taken  along.  Water  was 
brought  in  a  tin  bucket;  and  in  the  course  of  twenty  minutes  our  guide 
offered  us  each  a  tin  pint  dipperful  of  very  good  coffee,  which  with 
soda  crackers,  cheese,  canned  beef,  and  mustard,  made  a  fairly  relish- 
able  lunch.  i 


CAMPING  OUT. 


57 


For  our  dinner  that  evening,  we  were  promised  something  better,  for 
which  Fred  was  already  improvising  a  table  from  a  stray  hemlock  board 
and  some  stakes  set  in,  the  ground.  From  the  outset  our  guide  seemed 
to  recognize  the  fact  that  people  up  in  this  lake  counUy  develop 
enormous  appetites 
as  if  by  enchant- 
ment, and  governed 
his  movements  ac- 
cordingly. He  put 
beans  in  soak,  to 
cook  during  the 
night  in  an  old  iron 
tea-kettle,  buried  in 
ashes  and  live  coals, 
and  began  to  wash 
at  least  a  peck  of 
Irish  potatoes. 

Convinced  that 
he  was  on  the  right 
track,  and  fully  un- 
derstood his  busi- 
ness, we  set  off  to 
fish  and  hunt.  Stein 
and  Harold  crossed 
the  "  Narrows,"  to 
shoot  partridges  in 
the  woods  on  the 
opposite  side.    The  '  , 

rest  of  us  went  to  catch  trout  up  Metaluk  Brook. 

Both  the  Brook  and  the  "  Point"  are  named  after  "Old  Metaluk," 
an  Indian  chief  who  is  said  to  have  lived  here  with  his  squaw  "Molly 
Molasses." 


CAMPING   OUT. 


i 


58 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


We  went  round  into  the  mouth  of  the  brook  in  our  boat,  then 
landed  and  began  to  fish  along  the  banks.  It  is  a  good-sized  brook. 
For  a  mile  or  two  it  flows  through  a  bushy,  and  in  places  rather  sandy 
meadow,  but  farther  back  changes  to  a  very  picturesque  mountain  tor- 
rent. There  are  several  fine,  deep  "  trout-holes  "  here  along;  and  at 
one  of  them  Karzy  caught  a  trout  —  actually  did! 

The  rest  of  us  dtdfi't;  but  we  did  a  great  deal  of  earnest  fishing. 
For  bait  we  used  angle-worms  from  the  Upper  Dam  Farm  dooryard. 


LAKE    MOLECHUNKAMUNK. 

also  flies  and  pork.  Yet  despite  all  our  allurements,  the  trout  man- 
ifested a  surprising  amount  of  indiflference  to  us.  It  may  have  been 
our  fault,  or  our  innocent  inexperience.  Trout  are  "  pecooliar."  One 
expert  says  of  the  trout  of  these  waters:  —  "This  speckled  trout  is  not 
to  be  trifled  with.  He  must  be  approached  cautiously  and  deceived 
with  deliberation.  Although  possessed  of  a  shark-like  appetite,  he  is 
a  stickler  for  form,  and  objects  to  unseasonable  food  with  the  perti- 


CAMPING   our. 


59 


nacity  of  a  religious  devotee.  When  he  wants  flies,  the  plumpest  of 
angle-worms  may  be  dragged  before  his  very  nose  without  quickening 
the  play  of  his  pectoral  fins  or  the  easy  sway  of  his  tail,  and  when  it 
is  no  longer  fly-time  with  him,  the  \  cry  king  of  gray  hackles  might 
flutter  and  flap,  untouched,  within  a  finger's  length  of  the  lily-pad 
which  serves  as  his  shelter.  But  there  is  one  dainty  he  never 
rejects.  Be  it  chub,  or  shiner,  or  even  the  small  fry  of  his  own 
species,  this  handsome  cannibal,  like  the  cormorant  that  he  is,  makes 
haste  to  take  it  in  whenever  opportunity  ofters.  It  is  rare,  indeed, 
when  a  big  trout's  stomach  fails  to  yield  his  captor  evidence  of 
a  fish-dinner.  This  weakness  of  the  trout  is  often  turned  to  g>.od 
account  by  parties  who  bait  strong  hooks  with  live  fish,  and  leave 
them  'set'  in  the  water  over  night.  Such  fishmg  is  condemned, 
however,  as  unsportsmanlike,  and  no  respectable  fisherman  likes  to  be 
known  as  practising  it.  For  that  matter,  too,  trolling  is  looked  upon 
as  not  exactly  the  square  thing,  the  rule  of  fish-craft  being  that  the  fly 
ranks  first  in  honor,  then  rod-fishing  with  a  single  hook." 

This  opinion  of  trout  nature  is  indorsed  by  one  of  the  native 
guides  of  this  region,  in  the  native  tongue:  —  "Drefliil  notional  crit- 
ters, traout  be,  olluz  bitin'  at  whodger  haiint  got.  Orful  contrary  crit- 
ters—  jess  like  fimmels.  Yer  can  cotch  a  fimmel  with  a  feather,  if 
she's  to  be  cotched ;  if  she  haant  to  be  cotched,  yer  may  scoop  ther 
hul  world  dry  an  yer  haiint  got  her.    Jess  so  traout." 

It  was  late  when  we  got  back  to  camp.  The  sight  of  the  blithe 
fire  among  the  pines,  witV  its  strong  odors  of  pitch,  was  very  cheery. 
Pleasant,  too,  was  the  odor  of  Fred's  cooking.  He  was  frying  steak. 
Rike  and  Harold  sat  by.  They  had  returned  in  advance  of  us  and 
had  already  formed  an  opinion  of  the  game.  One  red  squirrel  was 
their  whole  bag.  "  And  for  this  I  bought  a  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollar  gun!  "  quoth  Rike,  exhibiting  the  game. 

Karzy  laid  his  trout — the  size  of  a  clothes-pin  —  alongside  the 
squirrel.      The    guide    smiled    as    one    not    wholly    unaccustomed 


I 


6o 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


to  such  instances.  '* Shall  I  cook  all  this  for  your  breakfast?"  he 
inquired. 

But  dinner  was  a  success.  It  always  is  up  here,  I  fancy  —  if  there 
is  anything  to  cat. 

As  we  ate,  we  heard  thj  loons  (the  Great  Northern  Diver) 
calling  to  each  other  out  on  the  lake;  and  a  colony  of  frogs,  in  a 
little  pond-hole  hard  by,  set  up  a  terrific  conclamation.  Once  we 
heard  a  distant  yell,  which  the  guide  said  was  made  by  a  bear. 


GENTLEMEN-TOURISTS'  CAMP. 


It  had  grown  cloudy  and  lowering.  But  our  cheerful  camp-fire 
made  all  bright.  It  seemed  rather  odd,  however,  to  be  sitting  on 
logs  in  a  forest,  with  night  and  a  storm  coming  on. 

"  What  would  my  mother  say  to  me  ?"  Moses  O.  remarked  thought- 
fully. "She  never  allowed  me  to  sit  out  of  doors  at  this  time  o'  day, 
for  fear  I  would  catch  the  *shak-.^.  Ever  have  the  *  shakes 'so  far 
east  as  this,  guide  ?  " 

"  Not  that  kind,"  said  Fred. 


CAMPING  OUT. 


6i 


le 
re 

a 


For  an  hour  or  so,  our  guide  entertained  us  with  accounts  of  hunt- 
ing and  camping  out,  proving  himself  a  capital  hand  at  a  story.  So 
numerous,  indeed,  were  his  tales,  that  I  should  despair  of  giving  a 
tenth  of  them  in  the  brief  space  allowed  me  for  recording  our  week  at 
these  lakes. 

On  looking  into  the  tent,  we  found  that  Fred  had  filled  it,  while 
we  were  gone  fishing,  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet  with  pine 
boughs.     On  this  natural  mattress  our  blankets  were  spread;  and  here, 


INTERIOR  OF   A   SPORTSMAN'S  CAMP. 


n 


r 


not  much  later,  we  bestowed  ourselves  for  the  night.  A  bit  of  candle 
was  set  up  in  a  candlestick  contrived  of  a  split  stick  stuck  in  the 
ground  and  a  strip  of  white  birch  bark;  and  the  tent-flap  was  drawn 
and  buttoned. 

Talking  went  on  for  a  while,  then  died  out.  The  frogs  peeped  and 
growled.  We  all  thought  that  we  should  soon  fall  asleep.  But  we 
did  not  for  some  reason,  —  the  oddity  of  the  thing,  very  likely.    I  could 


62 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


hear  my  fellow-travellers  turnings  over  and  over.  Then  Stein  ^ot  up 
to  make  some  improvement  in  his  part  of  the  bed.  "Good  many  ribs 
in  this  mattress  of  yours,  Fred,"  he  observed. 

Rike,  too,  got  up  to  improve,  —  and  drew  out  a  thick  pine-branch 
from  beneath  his  back. 

Upon  that  we  all  fell  to  talking  again,  and   I  think   it  was  one 
o'clock  before  sleep  fairly  reigned  supreme  in  that  tent. 

But  we  slept  late  enough  the  next  morning  to  make  it  up. 

When  I  waked  it  was  light,  and  evi- 
dently late;  but  it  was  raining  softly  on 
the  tent  outside.  All  hands  were  Knor- 
ing  away  as  for  dear  life.  A  wonderful 
drowsiness  brooded  over  that  interior; 
next  moment  I  had  surrendered  to  it 
again,  and  we  came  near  sleeping  over 
that  day.  Fred  waked  us  at  last,  lie 
was  getting  those  beans  out  of  the  hole 
where  the  kettle  had  stewed  all  night. 
The  odor  roused  us  out  at  once.  That 
is  the  way  to  cook  beans. 

k   had   nearly   ceased    raining,  and 
after  breakfast  we   set  sail   for   Upper 
Dam  to  fish  for  trout  again.     The  fol- 
lowing paragraph  from  Mr.  Farrar's  book  had  stimulated  Dearborn 
so  profoundly  that  he  wished  to  try  his  luck  at  luring  the  "  speckled 
beauties  "  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 


THEODORE  WINTHROP. 


*'  At  the  Upper  Dam  you  throw  your  fly  on  top  of  the  white  water,  and 
have  it  seized  by  a  ten-pounder,  instead  of  a  baby  trout  six  inches  long  ;  you 
strike  hard,  and  the  fish  darts  away,  while  fathom  after  fathom  of  your  line 
unreels,  and  you  begin  to  tremble  for  fear  he  will  never  stop ;  he  turns,  and 
you  begin  to  reel  in,  carefully  and  watchfully,  keeping  his  head  well  up  to 
the  surface,  and  after  many  moments  of  exciting  anxiety  you  get  him  near 


CAMPING  our. 


63 


enough  to  successfully  use  your  net.  It  is  no  small  job  to  take  an  eight-  or 
ten-pound  trout  out  of  swift  water,  vvitli  a  light  rod,  and  not  break  your  rod 
or  lose  your  line.  It  requires  skill,  patience,  and  practice  to  do  it;  but  isn't 
it  sport?  How  your  eyes  sparkle,  your  cheeks  flush,  and  how  you  quiver 
with  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  while  battling  with  one  of  these  gigantic 
specimens ! " 

One  comrade  more  than  hinted  that  we  had  not  fished  Metaluk 


LAKE  MOOSELUCKMEGUNTIC. 

Brook  correctly;  and  he  proceeded  to  read  us  a  section  of  instructions 
from  a  Fishermatis  Manual^  which  he  had  brought;  — 

«*  Questions  in  relation  to  fishing  uf  or  down  a  stream  should  be  decided 
by  the  condition  of  the  stream  and  its  borders.  While  casting  from  the  shore 
it  makes  very  little  difference  which  way  the  stream  is  fished ;  but  in  wading 
it  is  best  to  fish  up  stream,  because  it  does  not  roil  the  water,  and  there  is  not 
so  great  liability  to  alarm  the  fish.  In  making  a  cast  it  is  always  best  to 
draw  the  fly  across  the  current,  for  then  the  drop-flies  will  play  clear  of  the 
casting-line.     This  is  the  opinion  of  most  good  fly-fishers.    First,  cast  up 


64 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


stream  along  the  shore,  and,  if  the  stream  be  not  too  wide,  cast  to  the  farther 
shore,  drawing  your  flies  across  the  stream,  but  not  too  fast,  lest  the  trout  be- 
come suspicious.  In  striking  you  cannot  be  too  quick,  when  fishing  up  a 
stream.  Cast  first  near  the  shore ;  then  a  yard  or  two  farther  off;  next  across 
the  stream.  If  you  get  not  a  rise,  take  a  step  or  two  up  the  stream  and  re- 
peat. Continue  doing  so  until  a  doubt  arises  as  to  whether  the  trout  admire 
your  cast ;  then  replace  one  fly  by  another  of  different  color  from  any  on 
your  cast.  If  that  does  not  take,  after  presenting  it  several  times,  take  it 
off  and   try  another  extreme  in  color.     Keep  changing  until   you  hit  the 

fancy  of  the  trout." 

The  wind  was  fresh  from  the 
south,  and  we  had  a  fine  sail  of 
four  or  five  miles  to  the  Dam. 

That  portion  of  the  lake  above 
the  "  Narrows  "  is  called  the  Upper 
R'chardson,  or  Mollychunkamunk, 
Lake.  Theodore  Winthrop  wrote 
it  Mollychunkamug,  and  conjec- 
turing, after  his  humorous  fashion, 
%  as  to  the  derivation  of  the  name,  he 
remarks :  — 

"When  it  cleared,  —  when  it  pur- 
veyed us  a  broadening  zone  of  blue 
sky  and  a  heavenful  of  brilliant  cloud- 
creatures,  —  we  were  sailing  over  Lake 
Mollychunkamug.  Fair  Mollychunkamug  had  not  smiled  for  us  until  now  ; 
now  a  sunny  grin  spread  over  her  smooth  cheeks.  She  was  all  smiling,  and 
presently,  as  the  breeze  dimpled  her,  all  a-snicker  up  into  the  roots  of  her 
hair,  up  among  her  forest  tresses.  Mollychunkamug !  Who  could  be  aught 
but  gay,  gay  even  to  the  farcical,  when  on  such  a  name?  Is  it  Indian?  Be- 
wildered Indip*^ ,  we  deem  it,  —  transmogrified  somewhat  from  aboriginal 
sound  by  the  fond  imagination  of  some  lumberman,  finding  in  it  a  sweet 
memorial  of  his  Mary  far  away  in  the  kitchens  of  the  Kennebec,  his  Mary 
so  rotund  of  blooming  cheek,  his  Molly  of  the  chunky  mug.''' 


SPIRIT  OF   MOOSELUCKMEGUNTIC. 


CAMPING   OUT. 


65 


In  like  manner  of  Mooseluckviegnntic^  the  name  of  the  lake  next 
above  Mollychunkamunk,  Mr.  Farrar  gives  us  the  following  odd  tra- 
dition:— 

"  A  hunter,  who  was  out  after  moose,  met  with  such  poor  success,  that  he 
almost  famished.  He  said,  — '  I  had  been  four  days  without  game,  and 
naturally  without  anything  to  eat,  except  pine-cones  and  green  chestnuts. 
There  was  no  game  in  the  forest.  The  trout  would  not  >  ;:e  /or  I  had  no 
tackle  or  hook.  I  was  starving.  I  sat  down  and  rested  m  '  trusty  but  futile 
rifle  against  a  fallen  tree.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  tread,  turnv,il  iry  head,  saw 
a  moose — took  my  gun  —  tick  !  he  was  dead.    I  was  saved.    I  feasted,  and  in 


CAMP   HENRY,  RANGELEY  OUTLET. 

gratitude  named  the  lake  Moosetookmyguntick."      The  name  has  undergone 
some  modifications  since  its  origin,  but  it  cannot  be  misunderstood." 

Upper  Dam  is  called  very  good  fishing-ground.  The  waters  in 
great  volume  plunge  through  the  sluice-ways  of  the  dam  with  a  thun- 
derous rush,  making  those  ytjasty  maelstroms  which  the  trout  love  so 
well. 


'■M 

KM 


66 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


We  fished  there  with  both  assiduity  and  a  long-lived  patience  for 
two  or  three  hours — and  Fred  caught  one!  It  was  a  pretty  fish,  and 
would  have  weighed  a  pound,  I  think.  The  ten-pounders  did  not 
show  that  day. 

Next  day  Stein,  Rike,  and  Karzy  fished  Mosquito  Brook,  two  miles 
below,  and  Karzy  caught  three  trouts  as  large  as  small  cigars. 

At  the  end  of  this  day's  sport  Moses  O^  summed  up  as  follows:  — 

"Fellows,  this  is  a  very  pretty  region  of  country,  —  these  lakes  and 
mountains.  But  it  is  getting  rather  thickly  settled  with  city  sports- 
men and  their  camps.  The  game  is  mostly  on  paper.  If  we  want  to 
see  any  real  sport  this  vacation,  we  had  better  move  on." 


FRED'S    MOOSE-STORY. 


AS    RECORDED    BY    "  RIKE." 


We  had  heard  a  great  deal  about  moose-hunting  down  in  Maine,  and  were 
anxious  for  our  guide  to  take  us  to  hunt  the  noble  animal.  In  a  gentle  way 
he  gave  us  to  understand  that  moose  were  not  quite  as  plenty  as  tliey  used  to 
be,  also  that  there  was  a  law  against  killing  them  i  and  furthermore,  when 
pressed  hard  by  us,  he  as  good  as  told  us  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  go 
hunting  moose  then,  for  the  best  of  reasons  :  there  were  no  moose  at  present. 

But  moose  do  sometimes  come  about  these  lakes ;  and  a  few  years  ago, 
in  May,  1877,  our  guide  had  had  a  most  exciting  ride  after  a  bull  moose  on 
Lake  Cupsuptic,  the  third  lake  above  Welokennebacook.  He  was  at  that  time 
"guiding"  for  two  gentlemen  named  Sargent  and  Chase;  and  that  morning 
thev  were  out  in  a  boat  trolling  for  trout.  Not  far  off  were  two  other  boats 
with  two  gentlemen  named  Lewis  (father  and  son),  and  two  guides  named 
Haley  and  Haines.  It  was  a  fine  cool  morning.  The  lake  lay  black  and 
still.  They  were  having  fair  sport,  when  Mr.  Sargent's  attention  was  at- 
tracted to  what  looked  like  the  blanched  roots  of  a  pine  stump,  floating 
along  at  no  great  distance. 

"What  is  that?"  he  asked. 

"A  moose!  A  big  buck  moose!"  were  the  almost  simultaneous  excla- 
mations from  the  whole  party. 

"  Where  could  he  have  come  from  ?  " 


CAMPING  OUT. 


67 


Then  came  a  scramble.  Lines  were  hauled  in,  rods  were  shipped,  and 
the  guns  were  seized.  • 

But  a  voice  cried,  "  Don't  fire ;  it's  against  the  law  !     Let's  catch  him  !  " 

Every  paddle  was  at  once  brought  into  requisition.  Meantime  the  moose, 
which  had  probably  been  taking  a  morning  swim  to  free  itself  from  flies, 
took  alarm  at  the  hubbub,  and  struck  off  for  the  shore. 

It  was  an  eager  race  now.  The  pursuers  gained,  and  were  close  upon 
the  moose,  when  his  feet  touched  bottom.  With  a  mighty  splashing,  a  shake 
and  a  snort,  he  dashed  into  the  woods  on  Birch  Island. 


w  vi^iiSSiy^v 


„^*'^s!rVow,' jiV  ,.r-.-,,  r— 


A  CAMP  ON   LAKE   MOOSELUCKMEGUNTIC. 


"  Head  him ! "  was  the  cry.  "  Head  him  off  at  the  other  end  of  the 
island ! " 

Several  of  the  party  leaped  from  the  boats,  and  ran  pell-mell  through  the 
woods. 

The  moose  could  be  heard  crashing  through  the  brush.  Stimulated  by 
the  sport  and  by  the  fresh  morning  air,  the  men  fairly  astonished  themselves 
with  their  own  running. 

Over  logs,  through  brush  and  bushes,  across  bog-holes  and  sloughs,  on 
they  scrambled ;  and  to  drive  him  into  the  lake  again  they  set  up  a  chorus 


68 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


of  shouts,  hoots,  and  unearthly  yells,  until  the  poor  moose  no  doubt  thought 
that  pandemonium  had  broken  loose.  He  dashed  back  and  forth  along  the 
wooded  shore.  At  length,  hearing  his  pursuers  closing  in  about  him,  he 
took  to  the  lake  again,  and  struck  out  with  a  tremendous  splashing. 

"There  he  goes  I  He's  swimming  for  the  other  shore!  To  the  boats 
again !  "  and  his  eager  pursuers  ran  to  re-embark. 

By  the  time  they  were  fairly  afloat,  the  moose  had  got  some  distance  from 
land ;  but  under  the  energetic  strokes  of  Fred  and  the  other  guides,  well 
seconded  by  the  amateurs,  the  distance  was  speedily  shortened,  although  the 


^'"•^::Jiu.j^ : 


A   SETTLilR'S   LOO  CABIN. 


moose  swam  powerfully,  just  showing  its  black  head  and  neck  above  water. 
Foot  by  foot  they  closed  with  him. 

'"  Look  out  —  he  may  turn  on  you  !  "  cautioned  Haines. 

But  Fred  shot  alongside  the  creature  within  only  a  few  yards  of  him.  A 
running  noose  was  made  of  the  boat's  tow-line.  Watching  his  chance,  Fred 
threw  it.  By  good  luck  it  fell  over  the  moose's  antlers,  and  was  instantly 
drawn  tight.  A  wild  hurrah  applauded  this  feat,  both  from  those  in  the 
other  boats  and  from  several  sportsmen  on  the  shore. 

But  though  lassoed,  the  moose  was  not  yet  captured.      The  creature 


CAMPING  OUT. 


69 


struck  off  smartly,  towing  the  boat  after  him.  The  men  tried  to  stop  him  by 
backing  water ;  but  his  strength  overmatched  theirs.  One  of  the  other  boats 
now  came  up  and  made  fast  to  the  same  rope,  but  the  moose  took  them  both 
along  at  the  same  rate. 

"Well,  let  him  go,  if  he's  determined  to!"  cried  Chase.  "Let  him  swim, 
and  we'll  ride." 

In  fact,  they  were  all  about  tired  enough  to  rest ;  and  since  they  could  not 
stop  the  animal,  they  lay  back  and  enjoyed  the  ride.  On  went  the  moose, 
up  the  lake,  plunging  through  the  water  with  heavy  kicks  of  its  broad  hoofs. 

"Why,  this  is  equal  to  steam-power ! "  exclaimed  Sargent. 


■n 
■'% 


THE  FIRST  STEAMER   ON   THE   LAKES. 


Indeed,  the  puffing  and  blowing  of  the  moose  forcibly  reminded  them  of 
a  donkey-engine.  The  lookers-on  from  the  shore  did  not  at  once  comprehend 
the  situation,  moose  power  being  such  a  novelty.  The  moose  swam  with 
both  boats  as  fast  as  a  person  couid  easily  paddle  a  canoe.  By  hauling  on 
the  liie,  either  upon  his  right  or  left  side,  the  course  of  the  animal  could  be 
changed.  For  three  miles  the  moose  forged  ahead,  the  hunters  riding  serenely 
in  his  wake.  The  animal  did  not  attempt  to  turn  on  them,  as  they  had  half 
expected  he  would,  but  seemed  intent  only  upon  getting  away.     Having 


70 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


thoroughly  enjoyed  the  "  ride,"  a  sentiment  of  sympathy  began  to  creep  into 
the  hearts  of  the  sportsmen. 

"I  say,  gendemen,  it's  too  bad  to  ride  a  free  horse  to  death,"  quoth  one. 

"That's  so  ! "  exclaimed  every  voice. 

"  There's  some  danger,  too,  of  his  getting  winded  and  giving  up  sud- 
denly," said  Fred.     "  If  he  should  drown  out  here  we  should  lose  him." 

"  Head  him  for  the  shore,  then  I "  cried  Chase.     "  Go  for  Camp  Frye  !  " 

"  Camp  Frye,"  it  may  be  explained,  is  the  designation  given  to  a  tourists' 
camp  on  the  lake  shore,  after  the  Hon.  Wm.  P.  Frye,  Senator  from  Maine. 
It  so  happened  that  the  camp  was  at  that  time  occupied  by  Mr.  Frye  him- 
self, with  his  family. 

For  Camp  Frye  the  moose  was  accordingly  headed,  and  by  adroit  man- 
agement of  the  line  he  was  "  grounded  "  near  the  boat-landing.  So  com- 
pletely tired  out  had  the  animal  become  that  it  offered  almost  no  resistance 
when  pulled  out  of  the  water  upon  the  shore.  It  seemed  stupefied,  and  gave 
no  other  sign  of  native  ferocity  than  an  occasional  stamp  of  its  forehoof,  and 
by  grinding  its  teeth.  The  guides  say  that  they  had  never  seen  a  larger 
moose.     Its  weight  was  estimated  at  twelve  hundred  pounds. 

The  sight  of  a  live  moose  fresh  from  its  haunts  was  a  novelty.  Of  course 
nobody  dreamed  of  such  a  thing  as  taking  the  animal's  life.  The  law  of 
Maine,  at  present,  forbids  the  killing  of  all  wild  ruminants.  To  have 
"  made  away "  with  the  animal  in  the  presence  of  a  veteran  lawgiver  like 
Mr.  Frye  would  have  been  too  foul  a  deed  to  have  escaped  merited  justice. 

We  are  well  assured,  therefore,  that  after  three  hours'  durance  the  moose 
was  turned  loose  to  "  multicrease  and  replenish  "  the  forests.  Having  re- 
gained his  "  wind "  somewhat,  the  old  fellow  departed  with  an  exultant 
bound  when  the  line  was  cut ;  but  his  report  to  his  antlered  brethren  con- 
taining his  views  of  the  morning's  sport  has  not  yet  been  transmitted.        ■ 


CHAPTER  V. 


MOOSEHEAD  AND  THE  WEST  BRANCH. 

EXT  morning  there  was  thick  fog:  lakes,  primeval 
forest,  and  roaring  dams,  all  buried  —  lost — in  one 
unutterable  white  sea  of  pearly  mist.  Till  eight  o'clock 
and  past,  we  could  scarcely  discern  objects  fifteen 
yards  distant,  even.     Men  walking   about,  until  nigh 

enough  to  shake  hands    | -j<r 

with,  looked  like  dim  [I 

ghosts    in    gauze-like 

winding-sheets. 

Then   from  out  this   bewildering 

and  uprisen  sea,  yelled,  on  a  sudden, 

the  shrill  whistle  of  the  little  steamer 

Molly chunhamunh^   from    Rangeley 

outlet. 

We  paid   off   Fred,  and  bidding 

him  good-bye  —  not  without  real  re- 
gret, for  he  had  tried  hard  to  give  us 

a  good  time  —  went  on  board. 

The  Molly  chunk  a  mtmk  is  a  smart 

little   steam-launch;   and  we  should 

have  vastly  enjoyed  our  voyage   up 

Mooselucmaguntic,    Cupsuptic,    and 

Rangeley  lakes,  that  morning,  if  the 

fog  had  not  covered  us  so  closely.     As  it  was,  we  got  but  indistinct, 

fleeting  glimpses  of  the  scenery,  yet  did  not  deem  it  worth  the  while 


MOOSEHEAD. 


7* 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


to  tarry  longer.  Our  captain,  Harold,  and  Moses  O.  had  already 
declared  for  Moosehead  Lake,  Mount  Kineo,  and  Katahdin,  a  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  northeastward,  and,  as  we  then  supposed,  in  a  far 
more  sequestered  and  wilderness  region. 

From  Rangeley — named  after  an  eccentric  English  gentleman 

who  had  a  grant  of  land 
and  settled  in  this  section 
fifty  years  ago — we  went 
out  to  the  town  of  Phil- 
lips, by  stage,  over  a  very 
pretty  road  through  the 
woods,  and  past  several 
picturesque  ponds.  At 
Phillips  we  found  the  nar- 
rowest   of   narrow-gauge 


railways  which  any  of  us 
had  thus  far  seen.  The 
rails  were  but  f%vo  feet 
apart  I  with  cars  and  lo- 
comotive on  a  like  Lili- 
putian  scale  I  In  fact,  it 
was  the  most  petite,,  and, 
as  Karzy  remarked,  "the 
tamesV  little  railroad 
imaginable.  It  did  not 
seem  as  if  it  would  hurt 
you  if  you  jumped  off  and 


MAP  OF  MOOSEHEAD  LAKE. 


got  on  again  while  going  at  speed.     We  had  no  end  of  fun  riding 
on  it  down  to  Farmington.     It  was  like  a  boy's  railroad. 

At  Farmington,  this  little  railway  connects  with  a  ftiU-groivn 
one;  and  from  here,  after  a  very  pleasant  night  spent  at  the  old  home 
of  the  late  Jacob  Abbott,  author  of  the  Rollo  Books^  and  so  many 


MOOSEHEAD  AND   THE    WEST  BRANCH. 


73 


others,  dear  to  our  childhood,  we  went  to  Blanchard.  This  was  then 
the  terminus  of  the  railroad  up  to  Moosehead;  and  from  there  we  had 
stage  again  for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  north,  to  Greenville,  situated  on 
the  southern  arm  of  the  great  lake. 

There  is  little  call  to  stop  long  at  Greenville,  though  a  pretty  ham- 
let; and  as  the  steamer  lay  off,  waiting,  we  went  on  board  for  Mount 
Kineo,  the  grand  objective  point  with  tourists,  twenty  miles  up  the 
lake. 

Moosehead  is  a  large,  roomy  sheet  of  water,  though  it  d:^"'s  not 
look  it  from  Green- 
ville. North  and 
south  it  extends 
nearly  forty  miles, 
we  were  told,  and 
is  twelve,  and  even 
fifteen  and  eighteen 
miles  wide  in 
places.  Five  or  six 
miles  up  f  r  o  m 
Greenville  the 
scenery  becomes 
very  fine.  Stand- 
ing far  out  into  the 
lake,  in  front,  looms  the  brown,  hornstone  precipice  of  Mount  Kineo, 
eight  hundred  feet  high,  named  from  a  taciturn  old  Indian,  a  chief  it 
is  said,  who  lived  for  nearly  half  a  century  on  the  top  of  this  bold 
■crag.  Off  to  the  east  are  two  tall,  volcanic-looking  cones,  called 
the  "Spencer  Peaks."  Still  farther  eastward,  towers  the  granite 
block  of  Katahdin;  while  down  in  the  south-west  rises  the  high, 
dreary  peak  known  as  "  Old  Squaw,"  the  mother  of  Kineo,  who 
dwelt  there  while  her  son  lived  0,1  Mount  Kineo. 

Clearings  frequently  met  the  eye  along  the  shores:  a  circumstance 


FIRST  GLIMPSE  OF  MOOSEHEAD. 


74 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


which  by  no  means  enhanced  the  scene  in  our  eyes;  for  already,  from 
the  numbers  on  the  steamer,  and  many  other  indications,  we  were 
beginning  to  fear  that  we  should  find  Moosehead  as  "  thickly  settled  " 
with  tourists  as  was  Welokennebacook  and  Mollychunkamunk. 

The  Mount  Kineo  House,  situated  on  a  plat  of  land  at  the  foot  of 
the  towering  cliff,  is  a  large,  well-kept  hotel,  placed  in  a  most  charm- 
ing locality.  It  was  full  of  people.  We  could  scarcely  obtain  beds 
for  our  party —  two  in  a  bed. 


MOUNT    KINEO. 


Next  morning  we  hired  a  guide,  locally  known  as  "  Uncle  Amos," 
who  took  us  in  a  row-boat  along  the  foot  of  the  crags,  for  a  mile,  to 
where  the  ascent  of  Mount  Kineo  is  usually  made.  We  spent  the 
forenoon  climbing  the  mountain,  and  enjoying  the  really  grand  view 
from  its  summit.  In  fact,  I  may  as  well  condense  and  say  we  spent 
the  next  three  days  —  four,  including  Sunday — touring  about  in  the 
ordinary  tame  and  lazy  way,  to  see  the  supposed  objects  of  interest: 


&IOOSEHEAD  AND   THE    WEST  BRANCH. 


75 


over  to  the  mouth  of  Moose  River  and  Brassua  Lake,  to  Pebble  Jieach 
and  to  the  Socatean  Stream. 

Karzy,  meantime,  made  a  private  trip  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles, 
with  a  <juidc  and  team,  from  Greenville  to  what  is  termed  The  Gulf\ 
at  tiie  Katahdin  Iron  Works,  where  there  was  said  to  be  some  very 
fine  seenery.  He  relurned  enthusiastic,  saying-  that  this  "Gulf"  is 
the '' Yosemite  of  New  En«^land." 


MOOSEHEAD  FROM   MOUNT  KINEO. 


But  everywhere  were  tourists,  thick  as  blueberries!  —  parties  out 
for  the  day  from  the  hotel;  parties  camping  out  for  a  few  days;  boys 
hunting,  with  brand-new  guns,  and  no  end  of  cartridge-belts  and 
equipments;  boys  fishing,  with  fine,  new  rods.  Is  and  fly-hooks, — 
in  short,  no  end  of  nice-looking  people,  all  enjoying  themselves  to 
their  heart's  content.  But  the  game,  alas!  for  which  our  hearts 
pined,  was  as  scarce  here  as  at  Upper  Dam. 


76 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


«'i 


This  ncver'll  do,"  said  Moses  O.,  sighing.     "O,  for  a  lodge,  etc." 
We  talked  with  several  guides  and  others,  and  were  advised  to 
make  a  trip  to  the  head  of  Chesuncook,  and  to  Chamberlain  Farm, 

and  thence  down  the 
A 1  leg u ash  and  St. 
John  rivers,  to  Wood- 
stock, New  DrunH- 
wick:  three  hundred 
miles,  more  or  lesH, 
through  the  wilder- 
ness. 

That  seemed  to 
promise  something. 
For  it  we  hired  two 
other  guides,  known 
at  the  hotel  as  "Uncle 
Johnny"  and  "Marsh," 
and  three   large  birch 


canoes,     with    a    tent 


and  camping-out  kit, 
like  that  procured  at 
Andover,  with  Fred, 
only  on  a  grander 
scale,  and  with  si  lar- 
ger stock  of  provi- 
sions. 

Setting  off  at  five 
o'clock,  Monday  niorn- 
ing,  on  the  little  steamer  Day-Dream^  we  went  up  to  the  head 
of  the  lake,  where  the  "  north-cast  carry  "  leads  across  to  the  West 
Branch  of  Penobscot  River.  Here,  being  diligent  readers  of  Theodore 
Winthrop's  Life  in  the  Open  Air,  and  Thoreau's  Maine  Wood$^  we 


BILLINGS'   FALLS   IN   "THE  GULF." 


MOOSEHEAD  AND  THE   WEST  BRANCH. 


77 


looked,  but  looked  in  vain,  ibr  the  wooden  railroad  and  "bullgine" 
which  they  have  rendered  historic.  A  forest  tire  had  long  ago  burned 
up  the  railroad,  we  were  told.  Our  canoes  and  luggage  were  drawn 
across  the  carry — two  miles  —  by  a  span  of  stout  Canadian  horses. 
Even  this  remote  "carry  "  has  now  its  summer  hotel. 

Close  by  the  river  there  is  another  tavern,  and  blacksmith  shop, 
where  they  were 
shoeing  a  prodig- 
ious gray  draught- 
horse,  with  shaggy 
legs.  We  stopped 
to  wonder  at  the 
animal.  They  said 
it  came  from  Prince 
Edward's  Island. 
The  shoes  were  as 
large  as  Tyndall's 
magnet  si  The 
blacksmith  was  an 
odd  chunk  of  a 
man,  with  a  beagle 
head  and  surly  eye. 
But  we  saw  a  really 
pretty  face  peeping 
out  of  a  window  of 
the  house. 

The  West  Branch,  at  this  point,  is  about  ninety  metres  broad.  It 
takes  a  strong  arm  to  throw  a  stone  across  it,  as  we  found  out  while 
the  guides  were  launching  the  canoes  and  getting  ready  to  erhbark. 
Close  by  there  was  a  heap  of  barrels,  window-sashes,  boxes,  etc., 
all  marked  "  Murphy,  Head  of  Chesuncook."  Murphy  is  a  great 
man  in  these  parts,  —  lumberman,  farmer,  tavern  and  store  keeper.     It 


SOCATEAN  STREAM  FALLS. 


"::t 


B 


11 


>i:^ 


it  ( 
w 


l\ 


78 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


is  twenty  miles  from  this  place  to  Chesuncook,  northward,  and  down 
the  river. 

We  had  three  birch  canoes,  each  a  little  larger  than  the  ordinary 
size,  for  we  were  three  to  a  canoe.  Two  were  new,  but  all  three 
were  stanch  and  dry.  The  guides  had  brought  along  low  seats  with 
backs,  made  of  pine  boards,  for  us  to  sit  on  amidships;  but  we  did  not 
like  these,  and  chose  rather  the  great  rolls  of  wool  blankets  strapped 
up  in  the  rubber  ..  ankets. 

A  canoe  de  bouleau^  or,  in  Maine  phrase,  a  "birch,"  is  not  nearly 


OLU   WOODEN   RAILROAD  AND  "  BULI.GINE." 


SO  cranky  a  craft  as  many  believe.  The  Maine  lakes  canoes  generally 
tip  and  roll  less  easily  ihan  small  board  boats.  Once  a  little  used  to 
them,  they  are  the  most  delightful  of  skiffs,  for  they  sit  on  the  water 
like  a  duck,  and  a  little  rare  will  prevent  their  listing.  Some  tourists 
object  to  them  because  a  ,5ail  cannot  be  used;  but  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
we  sailed  them  on  every  fair  wind;  and  I  am  convinced  that  the  objec- 
tion is  imaginary.  True,  it  would  not  do  to  run  plump  on  a  rockj 
but  that  is  a  lubberly  accident  at  best. 


MOOSEHEAD  AND   THE   WEST  BRANCH. 


79 


The  Branch  was  low. 

For  a  mile  there  was  dead  water  between  banks  lined  with  black 
firs;  then  the  stream  shoaled,  and  thenceforward  we  found  "rips" 
and  "bars"  in  plenty,  all  the  way  down  to  the  "carry"  at  Pine 
Stream  Falls. 

From  the  foot  of  the  falls  to  the  lake  there  is  dead  water,  through 
a  sort  of  alluvial  bottom  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  firs.  There 
were  numerous  frog  lilies,  but  we  saw  no  white  ones.  The  bed  of 
the  stream  is  here  very  muddy;  and  as  we  drew  near  Lake  Chesun- 
cook,  the  water  itself  was  muddy,  for  a  breeze  had  arisen  and  the 
waves  were  run- 
ning back. 

We  now  es-  ■ 
pied    a 
smoke 

over  the  tree- 
tops.  The  set- 
tlers were  clear- 
ing and  burning 
off  the  forest, 
getting  ready 
for  next  year's 
crop.  A  little 
farther  on,  the 
lake    opened  to 


great  e® 


rising 


BRASSAU   RAPIDS. 


view,    and     we 


saw  rude  shanties  along  the  east  shore.  We  were  in  sight  of  Mur- 
phy's, or,  as  some  said,  Hatheway's,  little  kingdom,  and  on  emerging 
from  the  river,  on  the  lake  proper,  saw  the  palace  itself  of  this 
backwoods  potentate,  upon  the  west  shore  on  rising  ground,  distant 
about  a  mile.  It  was  a  large  story-and-a-half  house,  with  a  piazza 
across  the  front  side.     Near  by  were  numerous  barns  and  storehouses. 


I 


8o 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Turning  the  bar  off  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the  west  side,  we 
crossed  a  bay  in  the  teeth  of  a  rather  heavy  sea.  Tlie  whole  lake, 
twenty  miles  long,  lay  before  us,  and,  to  the  south-east,  the  high, 
rugged  peaks  of  Katahdin.  For  three  or  four  miles  down  the  lake,  on 
both  shores,  the  land  is  cleared  and  studded  with  shanties  belonging 
to  Murphy's  subjects.     Everything  had  a  new,  rude  aspect. 

We  landed  m  a  smart  surf,  and  withal  a  very  muddy  one.  The 
canoes  were  drawn  up,  and  we  all  climbed  the  steep  and  very  stony 
path  leading  to  the  house.  Several  rough-looking  fellows,  French- 
Canadians,  were  lounging  about  the  piazza,  a  part  of  Murphy's  stand- 
ing army,  probably. 

"  Is  Mr.  Hatheway,  or  Mr.  Murphy,  at  home  ?  "  Harold  demanded. 
He  had  come  near  saying  Prince  Hatheway. 

Alas !  Czar  Itlurphy  was  absent.     What  a  fate  was  ours ! 

"Could  we  have  dinner?"  Stein  inquired. 

At  this  juncture  Murphy's  generalissimo  made  his  appearance, 
and,  on  the  question  being  repeated,  admitted  that  the  thing  was  pos- 
sible, and  naturally  to  be  expected.  We  were  invited  to  enter —  and 
entered. 

We  should  have  been  invited  into  the  parlor,  no  doubt,  but  Mur- 
phy is  a  man  of  advanced  ideas,  and  hires  an  annual  schoolma'am  to 
teach  both  his  own  progeny  and  those  of  his  subjects;  and  just  now 
the  parlor  was  the  schoolroom.  Of  this  we  were  presently  made 
aware  by  the  escape  of  an  unruly  pupil,  a  wild-looking  urchin,  who 
burst  forth  with  a  howl  and  came  tearing  into  the  bar-room,  closely 
pursued  by  the  teacher,  a  hale  young  lady  of  eighteen  or  thereabouts. 
Little  "Jake"  came  near  involving  us  all  in  the  melee,  for  he  darted 
and  doubled  betwixt  us,  half  frantic  with  terror.  To  put  an  end  to 
the  matter,  Moses  O.  caught  him  and  gave  him  over  to  legal  authority; 
but  he  still  kicked  and  reviled  in  a  lively  manner.  Without  waste  of 
time,  he  was  dragged  away  to  condign  punishment,  as  his  yells  soon 
attested. 


MOOSEHEAD  AND   THE   WEST  BRANCH. 


8x 


A  bell  was  rung  to  announce  dinner,  while  we  were  thus  en- 
gaged. We  passed  through  the  bar-room  into  the  dining-hall,  a 
large,  long  room,  with  a  long  table,  now  steaming  with  the  whole  bill 
of  fare.  A  stout  daughter  of  Ireland  was  in  attendance.  Evidently 
they  thought  we  were  hungry,  and  kindly  meant  to  satisfy  us.  Every- 
thing by  way  of  food  was  on  such  an  enormous  scale,  and  there  were 
such  unheard-of  quantities  of  it,  as  to  quite  dismay  Karzy,  who  gazed 


A   PARTY  WE   SAW. 


about  in  ludicrous  helplessness.  I  quite  believe  there  was  a  half- 
bushel  of  boiled  potatoes,  not  one  of  which  was  smaller  than  an  aver- 
age apple-dumpling!  with  platters  of  fried  beef  and  gravy,  which 
might  have  sufficed  for  Polyphemus.  The  slices  of  wheat  bread  were 
three  inches  in  thickness,  without  exaggeration;  and  ginger-snaps 
were  brought  on  in  a  kind  of  hod.  In  Murpliy's  kitchen  they  were 
used  to  feeding  lumbermen  and  river-drivers,  with  appetites  like  a 
locomotive. 

Following  snaps  came  a  vast  pie;  a  pie  with  a  bottom  crust  like  a 


82 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


plank,  and  nearly  as  thick;  a  pie,  the  upper  crust  of  which  resembled, 
in  its  vast  undulations,  a  storm}'  ocean.  Stein  thought  it  would  be  a 
fine  thing  to  study  geology  by.  "Only  look  at  the  grand  upheavals!  " 
said  he. 

The  charge  was  fifty  cents  per  plate,  which,  considering  the  quan- 
tity provided,  was  certainly  "  wondrous  cheap,  and  for  the  money 
quite  a  heap." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

UMBAZOOKSOUS   MEADOWS.      TWO   SIDES  TO   A   STORY. 

IRECTLY  after  dinner  we  took  our  departure,  and 
paddled  out  across  the  mouth  of  the  West  Branch,  and, 
keeping  on  to  the  north-east  corner  of  the  lake,  entered 
the  mouth  of  Caucomgomoc  Stream,  with  a  smart  gale 
at  our  backs.  For  a  mile  the  channel  is  broad,  with 
little  or  no  current;  there  is  a  thick  growth  of  white 
birches  on  both  banks.  The  Caucomgomoc  then  bends 
suddenly  to  the  left  and  westward,  and  at  this  place  the 
Umbazooksous  joins  it  from  the  north-east  and  right.  Our  route  to 
Chamberlain  Lake  lay  up  the  Umbazooksous.  These  are  Indian 
names,  which  "  Marsh  "  thus  explained  the  meanings  of.  Caucom- 
gomoc, or  Caucomgomoctook,  meant  Big-Gull-Lake-Stream,  since  it 
is  the  outlet  of  Lake  Caucomgomoc  to  the  north-west;  Umbazooksous 
signified  Great  Bog  Stream.  We  soon  perceived  the  appropriateness 
of  the  latter  name,  for  our  course  was  now  along  a  small  muddy  brook 
through  miles  of  open  bog.  There  was  barely  water  enough  to  float 
us,  and  scarcely  any  current. 

We  met  here  a  canoe  containing  a  gentleman  tourist  and  guide,  of 
whom,  after  mutual  salutations,  we  inquired  of  the  stream  above. 
Everybody  feels  acquainted  when  meeting  in  these  wilds.  Their  ac- 
count was  bad  enough. 

Along  the  stream,  in  a  score  of  places,  there  were  broad  plats  of 
wild  roses,  of  whi*.  there  were  still  a  few  in  bloom.  The  mud  banks 
were  soft  and  bare,  ani  on  these  there  squatted  and  hopped  an  infinite 


84 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


army  of  frogs,  and  a  few  "peeps"  which  kept  flying  up  a  little  in  ad- 
vance of  us.  At  one  place  we  saw  the  feathers  and  bill  of  a  hapless 
heron.  About  it  were  the  tracks  of  a  fisher,  or  a  wild-cat.  Flocks  of 
partridges  were  frequently  seen  in  the  grass  along  the  b^nks.  Rike, 
who  was  in  the  bow  of  the  leading  canoe,  shot  a  number  with  Uncle 
Johnny's  shot-gun;  also  several  of  the  "peeps,"  though  they  would 
make  but  a  mouthful  apiece. 

The  stream  grew  still  narrower  and  more  shoal  as  we  went  on. 
The  keels,  or  rather  bottoms,  of  the  canoes  stirred  the  mud,  and 
raised  a  not  very  pleasant  odor,  and  at  length,  at  about  six  o'clock,  we 
came  to  a  place  where  further  navigation  seemed  quite  impossible. 
On  the  right  bank,  too,  there  was  ,i  beaten  path  leading  off  into  the 
fir  woods;  for  here  the  open  meadows  ended,  and  higher  ground, 
heavily  wooded,  began.  The  guides  said  we  should  have  to  "  carry" 
around  the  place. 

But  off  in  the  west  a  heavy  bank  of  black  clouds  was  drifting  up 
over  the  mountains.  It  had  the  appearance  of  being  a  shower.  We 
judged  it  best  to  camp. 

Swarms  of  mosquitoes  and  "  midges  "  came  upon  us  from  the  low 
land.  The  prospect  of  a  shower  seemed  wonderfully  to  add  to  their 
ferocity.  We  had  hoped,  at  this  season,  to  be  free  from  these  pests 
of  tourists;  but  at  times,  and  in  certain  localities,  we  still  found  them 
in  full  force.  Uncle  John  said  there  were  always  mosquitoes  on  the 
Umbazooksous. 

A  fire  was  built  on  the  bank,  where  former  tourists  had  had  one, 
and  we  set  up  our  tent  a  little  to  the  right  of  it,  so  that  the  west  wind 
would  take  the  smoke  out  clear  of  us. 

The  evening  darkened  rapidly,  and  the  multitudes  of  frogs  began 
their  conclamation,  some  shrill-voiced  and  agreeable,  but  others  in 
terribly  bass  gutturals.  Ere  long  the  thunder  began  to  peal  out  and 
rumble  in  long  reverberations,  and  the  lightning  to  show  in  bright, 
vivid  lines.  ,  , 


UMDAXOOKSOUS  MEADOWS. 


85 


But  this  shower  passed  to  the  southward,  following  the  West 
Branch;  other  thunders,  however,  were  muttering  far  up  in  the  north- 
west, over  Caucomgomoc.  A  little  later,  a  few  drops  were  scattered 
down  on  a  sudden,  and  these  had,  or  seemed  to  have,  a  singular 
effect.     With  them  the  mosquitoes  drew  off  for  the  time  being;  there 

was  a  lull  of  the  contlnu-  

ous  hum.  We  seisjcd  the 
opportunity  to  take  our 
supper;  but  before  we 
had  finished,  the  torments 
again  assailed  us,  fiercer 
than  before.  We  were  fain 
to  flee  to  our  tent.  Those 
intermittent  attacks  of  the 
mosquitoes  must  be  due  to 
electric  changes  in  the  air, 
not  perceptible  to  us. 

As  the  evening  ad- 
vanced, some  animal  came 
about  the  camp.  We 
heard  it  several  times, 
breaking  the  brush  as  it 
stepped.  Nobody  cared 
to  hunt  it,  however;  Karzy 
and  Rike,  indeed,  were 
already  asleep. 

Next  morning,  while 
Uncle  Johnny  and  "Marsh"  were  boiling  potatoes,  baking  biscuits* 
and  getting  up  breakfast,  we  espied  a  smoke  a  few  hundred  metres 
back  from  the  Ktreani,  across  the  meadow,  on  a  knoll  covered  with 
gum-spruces.  On  going  out  to  it,  we  found  three  fellows  encamped 
there  —  not  tourists,  but  young  men  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  from 


WAITING   FOR   HER  COFFEE. 


86 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


the  settlement  below,  stopping  there  to  cut  and  stack  hay  on  these 
natural  meadows. 

They  were  bright,  smart-looking  boys,  tough  and  inured  to  pioneer 
life;  and  they  had  ideas  and  aspirations,  too,  in  advance  of  the 
kind  of  life  they  were  leading.  We  found  them  getting  their  break- 
fast and  reading  Ccssar  in  the  Latin;  and  we  afterwards  ascer- 
tained that  they  were  trying,  while  thus  working  their  way,  to  fit  for 
college. 

To  find  boys  x'eading  Latin  and  Greek  in  such  a  wilderness  was  a 
novelty  which  both  astonished  and  interested  us. 

Finding  them  here  was  the  occasion  of  our  spending  a  number  of 
days  at  this  place,  hunting,  digging  spruce-gum,  etc.,  for  we  really 
took  a  great  liking  to  them,  and  the  rough  but  sturdy  and  self-reliant 
life  they  led. 

A  misunderstanding  arose,  however;  (it  was  nothing  more  than  a 
misunderstanding.)  They  took  it  into  their  heads  that  we  were  mak- 
ing game  of  their  eftbrts  to  master  Latin  and  fit  for  college.  They 
seemed  very  sensitive  on  that  point.  The  fact  was  simply  that  we 
were  a  little  surprised  at  it,  but  really  had  conceived  a  great  admira- 
tion for  their  pluck.  We  failed,  however,  to  make  them  understand 
us.  They  grew  suspicious,  and  kept  on  their  guard;  and  finally  (as 
we  are  free  to  own)  they  got  one  of  the  worst  practical  jokes  on  us 
that  ever  was  sprung  in  those  parts.  Not  content  with  the  joke,  too, 
one  of  them  gave  II  away  in  a  letter  to  a  Boston  paper. 

As  afterwards  appeared,  they  had  some  time  before  come  by  chance 
upon  a  very  old  stag  moose,  too  decrepit  and  blind  to  run  much,  ofi:'  a 
few  miles  in  the  woods.  This  venerable  old  grand-dad  of  moose  they 
had  caught  and  hitched  up  to  a  tree  near  a  neighboring  pond  shore  — 
for  sport.  But  we  are  perfectly  willing  the  reader  should  have  the 
joke  as  told  in  their  press-letter.  We  merely  claim  the  right  .o  cor- 
rect a  iew  minor  statements  of  theirs  wherein  they  were  misinformed 
in  regard  to  us  personally. 


UMBAZOOKSOUS  MEADOWS. 


87 


**  Two  of  them  [their  letter  referring  to  us  states]  were  young  medical 
studen,ts  from  Philadelphia,  and  another  a  young  clerj^yman — or  going  to 
be  —  though  you  would  never  have  known  it  from  his  actions,  for  the  '  par- 
son *  was  the  wildest  of  the  party. 

"  Before  long  these  new  arrivals  happened  to  see  our  copy  of  Caesar. 
The  '  parson '  and  one  of  the  young  doctors  were  graduates  of  a  university, 
and  they  wondered  where  that  '  Ciesar'  came  from.  No  statement  of  ours 
would  make  them  believe  v/e  knew  enough  to  read  in  it ;  so  they  quizzed  us 
unmercifully,  and  laughed   heartily  at  their  own  jokes  at  our  expense. 

"We  really  hoped,  after  we  found  they  had  studied  Latin,  that  we 
might  learn  something  from  them,  and  when  they  asked  us  to  read,  of  course 
did  the  best  we  could. 

"  Our  pronunciation  of  the  Latin  amused  them  amazingly,  particularly 
the  '  parson.'  We  didn't  care  for  his  laughing,  if  we  could  only  learn  some- 
thing from  him  ;  but  I'm  inclined  to  think  that  he  did  not  know  too  much  of 
Caesar  himself." 


(There  was  nothing  especially  odd  about  their  pronunciation  of 
Latin,  according  to  the  English  method.  They  read  Latin  fluently 
and  well  —  remarkably  well  for  boys  without  school-training.  It  is 
quite  true  that  we  could  not  teach  them  much,  if  anything,  in  Caesar, 
and  we  had  no  intention  of  quizzing  them.  They  were  misinformed 
as  to  there  being  two  medical  students  and  a  young  "  parson  "  in  our 
party.) 

"  All  of  them  were  eager  to  hunt.  They  wanted  to  shoot  something  ;  a 
bear,  or  deer,  or  something  of  that  kind  ;  but  they  knew  nothing  of  hunting, 
and  could  never  even  get  sight  of  game  of  any  size.  They  had  expected  to 
find  the  woods  here  full  of  game  ;  consequently  they  would  come  back  every 
night  disgusted,  and  the  more  ready  to  torment  us  about  our  Latin. 

"  Then  they  asked  us  to  go  hunting  with  them,  but  we,  of  course,  were 
too  busy  with  our  haying  to  comply  with  their  request.  At  length  we 
became  indignant,  almost  angry,  at  their  chaff,  and  determined  to  take  some 
of  the  conceit  out  of  them.  We  had  not  told  them  of  our  old  blind  moose; 
but  the  following  night,  when  we  got  home,  Ed  said  to  them  that  we  had  seen 
moose  signs  as  we  came  along. 

"'Is  that  so?' they  exclaimed. 


HS 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


"'Yes,'  says  Ed;  'and  I  am  sure  I  could  beat  up  that  moose  before  to- 
morrow noon.' 

"  That  caused  them  to  urge  us  again  to  go  out  with  them. 

" '  We  have  our  hay  to  take  care  of,'  said  Vet,  '  and  cannot  afford  to 
spend  time  in  that  way.' 

"  They  spoke  in  whispers  a  few  moments,  and  then  offered  us  ten  dollars 
if  we  would  take  them  within  sight  and  good  fair  range  of  a  moose. 

" '  No,'  said  Ed. 

"  They  said  no  more  that  night,  buf  the  next  morning  they  doubled  the 


C'RAND-DAD. 


offer.  They  would  give  us  twenty  dollars  if  we  would  take  them  where  they 
could  see  and  have  a  good  fair  shot  at  a  moose. 

"*  All  right,'  said  Ed.  '  You  will  promise  to  pay  us  that  if  we  will  bring 
you  within  rifle  distance  of  a  moose.' 

"  '  Yes,  yes,  certainly  ;  we're  serious.'  And  then  they  strapped  on  their 
hunting-knives  and  revolvers,  and  loaded  their  guns.  All  had  elegant, 
double-barrelled,  English  sporting-guns,  Purdy's  make,  worth  a  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  apiece. 


1^ 


UMliAXOOKSOUS  Af/i/IDOlVS.  <9 

"We  to(»k  them  along  tlie  '  carry  path  '  half  a  mile  or  more,  then  round 
and  about  through  the  woods  five  or  six  miles,  pointing  out  moose  signs  by 
the  way.  About  ten  o'clock  we  brought  them  round  near  where  we  had 
old  'grandsir'  hitched  on  the  pond  shore.  Ed  crept  along,  an.l  imitating  his 
careful  movements,  they  were  presently  all  creeping  on  their  hands  and 
knees  after  him.     By  this  time  they  were  wrought  up  to  fever-heat,  and  Ed 


A   HAPPY   FAMILY.  — ONE  WE  DIDN'T  MEET. 


led  them,  still  creeping,  through  mud  and  rushes,  until  near  the  moose,  and 
then  we  parted  the  reeds  and  gave  them  the  first  glimpse  of  old  'grand-dad' 
grubbing  the  bushes. 

"'  There,  now  take  good  aim,  and  don't  butcher  the  critter,'  Ed  whispered. 

"Their  hands  trembled  with  excitement  as  they  fired,  but  some  of  their 
shots  hit  the  poor  old  brute,  causing  him  to  utter  a  distressful  grunt.    At  that 


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90 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


they  retreated  for  dear  life,  but  rallied  after  a  few  moments'  listening,  and 
closed  round  the  animal  again.  They  did  rot  dare  go  very  near  him,  but 
fired  through  the  bushes.  Ed  and  Vet  and  I  were  in  the  rushes,  shaking  with 
laughter.  They  fired  six  or  eight  shots.  So  long  as  the  poor  brute  showed 
the  least  sign  of  life  they  fired  at  him,  for  they  had  been  told  stories  of  moose 
turning  on  hunters.  Then  they  ventured  up,  and  discovered  that  he  was 
hitched   to  a  tree,  and  had  been  hitched  all  the  time.     Then  there  was  a 

silence  for  some  moments,  then  some 


talk ;  but  the  charting  was  on  our 
side  now.  Of  course  they  saw  the 
joke,  but  wouldn't  take  it.  They  con- 
sidered themselves  insulted,  and  were 
very  angry.  The  '  parson  '  wanted 
to  know  whether  we  had  any  particu- 
lar motive  in  hitching  up  the  moose. 
"  '  So  he  needn't  hurt  ye,'  said  Ed. 
^*  They  were  so  disturbed  that  we 
went  oft'  and  left  them.  Towards 
supper  time  they  came  to  camp, 
bringing  '  grandsir's  '  head  and  ant- 
lers. That  evening  Dearborn  asked 
us  if  we  expected  to  get  the  twenty 
dollars. 

" '  Of  course,'  said  Ed. 
"  '  Let  us  know  when  you  get  it 
then,'  said  Dearborn,  coolly. 

" '  Didn't  we  keep  our  part  of  the 
agreement  to  the  letter?'  Ed  asked. 
"'.What  if  you  did?' 
"*  Well,  as  we  did,  we  expect  you  to  keep  your  part;'  and  he  stepped 
up  quickly  and  took  up  one  of  their  guns.     'I'll  keep  this  for  security  till  the 
twenty  dollars  are  paid.' 

"There  was  dead  silence  for  a  while;  in  fact,  there  wasn't  much  more 
said  that  night.  But  the  next  morning  they  gave  us  the  twenty  dollars, 
packed  up  their  things,  and  left,  without  even  bidding  us  good-by.  We  said 
nothing.  We  had  endured  so  much  chaff*  from  them  on  our  Latin  that  we 
felt  we  had  a  right  to  retaliate  in  some  inoflfensive  way,  and  we  ctrtainly 
thought  they  ought  to  have  taken  the  joke  in  good  part."  , 


KATAHDIN  FROM   lilE  LAKE. 


rpVO  SIDES   TO  A  STORY. 


91 


It  is  evident  that  this  account  was  written  up  to  make  the  joke 
sound  as  big-  as  possible,  and  to  put  us  in  a  damaging  light.  That  it 
was  a  round  Joke 
we  never  denied. 
From  some  cause 
there  is  an  inaccu- 
racy in  the  state- 
ment that  "  Ed  " 
seized  one  of  our 
guns.  They  had 
borrowed  one  of 
our  gu2is  some 
days  before.  The 
twenty  dollars  was 
not  paid  under  compulsion^  but  was  a  free  gift  on  our  part  —  after 
we  had  talked  over  the  matter  together  —  in  the  hope  that  they 
would  cherish  no  further  ill-will. 


UNCLE  AMOS  AND  UNCLE  JOHNNY. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  WOOD-SPRITES.     A  NOCTURNAL  SCARE. 

FTER  undergoing  such  a  "  sell "  as  this,  we  naturally 
concluded  that  we  had  better  go.  If  we  went,  as  our 
friends  complain,  without  a  formal  "good-by,"  it  is 
simply  that  we  felt  such  a  ceremony  would  be  super- 
fluous, not  from  any  premeditated  rudeness. 

If,  on '  reflection,  the  time  comes  when  they  shall 
repent  of  the  unfeeling  manner  in  which  they  practised 
on  our  innocence  and  inexperience,  we  shall  be  heartily 
glad  to  receive  their  overtures  and  resume  friendly  relations.  No 
better  earnest  could  be  given  that  we  are  willing  to  take  their  joke  in 
good  part. 

We  departed  up  the  muddy  Umbazooksous  on  our  way  to  Mud 
Pond  and  Chamberlain  Farm  in  a  rather  wilted  condition.     Moses  O. 
was  not  heard  to  speak  a  loud  word  that  day.     He  only  whispered 
faintly  once  or  twice,  and  shook  his  head  dismally  at  times. 
Karzy  wished  we  hadn't  come  that  way. 

Rike  hinted  gently  his  fears  that  the  aborigines  were  too  much 
for  us.  . 

We  didn't  dare  to  tell  our  guides  what  had  happened  to  us,  for 
fear  their  sympathies  would  be  on  the  wrong  side,,  possibly  that  they 
might  desert  us  right  there  in  the  woods. 

"  Ruined  I  ruined !  "  Karzy  would  groan  at  intervals.  "  Ruined 
by  Chinese  cheap  labor! " 

All  day  we  toiled  along  that  shoal,  crooked,  and  muddy  Umba- 
zooksous, wading  and  fighting  mosquitoes.     Four  times  the  canoes. 


THE   WOOD-SPRITES. 


93 


and  everything  in  them,  had  to  be  "  toted  "  across  '*  carries,"  round 
dams  and  blockades  of  driftwood.  Both  banks,  too,  were  densely 
wooded  with  thickets  of  black  alders,  fir,  and  larch. 

It  was  not  until  sunset,  and  after,  that  we  came  out  to  Umbazook- 
sous  Lake.  Launching  on  this,  we  crossed  to  the  north-east  side, 
where  "Mud  Pond  Carry,"  across  to  Mud  Pond,  begins,  two  and  a 
half  miles  long.  There  is  a  clearing  here  where  formerly  was  a  hay 
farm,  now  partly  grown  up  to  bushes. 

It  was  dark  already  when  we  landed.  Going  along  the  path 
through  the  willow  clumps  to  reconnoitre,  Karzy  espied  the  glimmer 
of  a  camp-fire.  It  looked  so  cheery  there  in  that  wild  and  gloomy 
wilderness,  that,  while  the  guides  were  getting  out  the  canoes,  we 
started  off  to  see  who  our  neighbors  were.  It  was  at  some  distance 
out  across  the  clearing,  with  many  intervening  bush  clumps  and  much 
dewy  grass.  At  length  we  came  through  some  hazels  in  sight  of  a 
large  tent  and  a  blithe  camp-fire  partly  behind  a  thicket  of  fir  near  a 
haystack. 

Meantime  our  "  Uncle  Amos  "  had  come  up  behind  us,  to  keep  us 
out  of  trouble,  I  suppose. 

"  Better  be  kinder  keerful,"  he  advised,  sotto  voce.  "  No  knowin' 
who  they  be.  They  might  hear  us  a-comin'  through  the  brush,  and 
think  'twas  some  wild  critter,  and  fire." 

Rike  was  about  to  hail  them,  when  to  our  astonishment  a  silvery 
laugh  floated  across  to  us,  and  a  clear,  girlish  voice  cried,  "  Louis, 
please  toast  more  crackers." 

"Whew I  Young  ladies!"  Harold  exclaimed  under  his  breath. 
"  Where  do  you  suppose  they  came  from?  and  what  are  they  doing 
here?" 

"  Camping  out,  perhaps,"  Stein  said. 

"  I'll  bet  ye  'tis  the  very  same  party  that  left  Kineo  a  week  ago," 
Uncle  Amos  remarked.  "They  ware  goin'  through  to  Chamberlain 
Farm.     Got  two  guides,  and  had  two  new,  large  canoes." 


94 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


"Know  who  they  were,  Uncle  AmosV"  questioned  Harold. 

Uncle  Amos  didn't,  but  he  knew  their  guides:  Louis  Soccabesori 
(Indian)  and  Billy  Goss  (American) .  "  An'  Louis  is  a  good  guide," 
Uncle  Amos  added;  "the  best  guide  round  the  lakes,  I  du  s'pose, 
if  he  is  an  Injun." 

"Well,  hail  them.  Uncle  Amos!  "  cried  Rike.  "This  is  no  place 
for  ceremony.     Perhaps  they  will  kindly  give  us  a  cup  of  tea." 

Our  guide  roared  out  a  prolonged  "  HuUo-o-o-o  tharl  " 

Silence  for  a  moment  brooded  on  the  opposite  encampment. 
Then  we  saw  two  dark  forms  come  through  the  firs. 

"That  you,  Billy?"  Uncle  Amos  called  out. 

"That  you.  Uncle  Amos?"  from  so-called  Billy. 

Without  further  ado  we  ventured  to  approach. 

Ah!  but  'twas  a  pretty  sight  that  then  met  our  eyes!  A  large, 
gaj'^ly  accoutred  tent,  a  bright  camp-fire,  and  on  a  carpet  of  green 
boughs,  amidst  the  firs,  four  ladies  cosily  taking  supper  from  off  a 
table-board  laid  on  the  boughs  and  covered  with  a  bright-colored 
cloth. 

Naturally  they  were  a  little  disturbed  at  our  coming  upon  them  as 
we  did,  and  paused  from  their  repast  in  reserved  silence. 

The  two  guides  said  nothing.  Nothing  said  our  Uncle  Amos. 
The  burden  of  the  thing  was  on  us. 

"I  sincerely  beg  pardon,  ladies,  for  this  intrusion!"  Harold 
exclaimed,  with  a  bow.  "  We  were  belated  over  in  the  swamps,  and 
your  fire  looked  so  cheery,  we  could  not  resist  coming  toward  it." 

The  oldest  of  the  ladies,  whose  intellectual  face  I  had  at  once 
noted,  bowed  courteously. 

But  fortune  was  on  Harold's  side  that  night. 

"Pray  excuse  me!"  he  suddenly  exclaimed;    "but  I  cannot  be 

mistaken,  —  am  I?     Is  not  this  Miss  M whom  I  had  the  pleasure 

of  knowing  at  Newport  last  summer,  and  afterward  at  the  Fabyan  in 
the  White  Mountains?     Or  (laughing)  is  it  the  queen  of  the  wood- 


J 


i. 


sprites,  Queen  Mab,  perhaps,  who 
I  h  >pe  has  not  entirely  forgot- 
ten —  " 

"Forgotten  Mr.  Dearborn? 
No  indeed  I"  cried  one  of  the 
young  ladies,  rising  with  a  pleased 
smile,  and  extending  her  hand  to 
our  lucky  comrade. 

We  were  "all  right"  now,  and 
soon  had  the  pleasure  of  mutual 
introductions.  In  fact,  we  found 
that  none  of  the  party,  upon  whom 


THE  LADIES'  CAMP. 


96 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


we  had  so  accidentally  fallen,  were  wholly  unknown  to  us.  The 
pleasant  lady  who  had  this  jolly  expedition  in  charge,  is  a  writer 
whose  works  we  have  all  come  to  admire;  while  the  younger  ladies 
were  still  "college  girls." 

They  had  come  up  to  Mootrehead  and  Kineo  three  weeks  before, 
on  a  sketching  and  camping-out  tour.  To-night,  with  their  guides, 
they  were  en  route  for  Chrmberlain  Farm;  and  very  picturesque  they 
looked  in  their  camping-out  suits,  seated  round  their  fire.  Right  hos- 
pitably, too,  they  entertained  us  that  evening  —  a  benefit  not  soon  for- 
gotten by  us  in  our  belated  and  hungry  condition. 

An  hour  later  we  bade  them  good-night  —  not  without  a  secret 
resolve  to  spend  next  day  in  that  vicinity. 

But  going  back  to  our  landing-place  by  a  shorter  cut-ofF  to  the 
right,  past  a  growth  of  high  choke-cherry  bushes,  we  stumbled  on 
still  another  camp,  near  another  haystack,  where  were  four  young 
fellows — strangers  to  us  —  students  from  the  Harvard  Scientific 
School,  with  their  three  guides. 

At  first  their  greeting  and  reception  of  us  was  a  little  stiff.  We 
mistrusted  at  once  that  they  were  hovering  at  a  respectful  distance 
in  the  wake  of  those  young  ladies,  and  did  not  blame  them  a  bit  for 
not  relishing  our  appearance  on  the  scene.     Naturally  they  wouldn't. 

But  they  warmed  toward  us  after  talking  awhile,  and  at  length 
gave  us  so  cordial  an  invitation  to  fetch  up  our  tent  and  camp  by  their 
fire,  that  we  did  so,  and  passed  a  most  enjoyable  evening.  They  were 
fine,  manly  fellows. 

An  exceedingly  funny  thing  happened  that  night. 

These  ladies,  as  you  must  know,  were  away  off  at  the  other  side 
of  the  clearing,  alone  in  their  tent.  Their  two  guides,  "  Louis  "  and 
"Billy,"  had  come  over  to  our  side,  and  were  spending  the  night  with 
our  guides. 

Sometime  along  in  the  night,  (it  must  have  been  as  late  as  two  in 
the  morning,)  one  of  our  new  Harvard  friends  (whom   the  others 


A  NOCTURNAL  SCARE. 


97 


called  "  Robin  Goodfellow  ")  woke  up  with  toothache,  and  arose  to 
walk  about  and  chew  cloves.  In  the  kindness  of  his  heart  he  reflected 
how  lonely  and  unprotected  those  ladies  were,  with  "Louis"  and 
"Billy"  sound  asleep  and  snoring  there  with  our  guides,  and  he 
walked  cautiously  out  toward  their  tent — just  to  see  that  they  were 
all  right.  A  few  wakeful  mosquitoes  met  him  and  presented  bills  for 
immediate  adjustment.  While  negotiations  of  this  sort  were  going 
on,  he  stood  a  moment,  and  at  length  began  to  be  aware  of  a  singu- 
larly regular  sound  from  the  direction  of  the  ladies'  tent.  In  fact,  it 
sounded  uncommonly  like  some  one  munching  something,  only  very 
slowly  and  regularly.  A  very  absurd  idea  seized  the  young  gen- 
tleman. Ha!  they  are  having  an  extra  supper  in  there!  he  thought, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  calling  out,  "Give  me  some! "  when  the  cur- 
tain of  their  tent  was  opened  a  little,  very  stealthily,  and  an  alarmed 
whisper  called,  "  Louis!  Louis!  " 

As  the  aborigine  was  far  away,  Robin  at  once  went  forward. 

"Oh  dear!"  cried  the  distressed  whisperer;  "there  is  certainly 
something  behind  this  tent!  We  can  hear  it  chewing  something,  and 
oh!  it  steps  so  heavy!  Do  look!  But  do  be  careful.  Oh,  dear  me! 
What  shall  we  do?" 

Without  in  the  least  sharing  this  terror,  Robin  started  round  the 
tent,  smiling,  but  on  turning  the  corner  on  the  back  side,  uttered  a 
yell  and  bolted!  —  for  there  stood  an  animal  close  up  to  the  tent,  as 
large  as  a  rhinoceros!  black  as  ink  —  a  monster! 

At  this  note  of  masculine  alarm,  a  chorus  of  shrieks  arose  from  the 
tent.  It  burst  open,  and  there  streamed  out  a  headlong,  horrified 
group  in  long  wrappers,  with  flying  hair. 

The  stampede  came  straight  out  where  we  were  encamped ;  and 
we  were  waked  by  the  screams  and  by  Robin  shouting,  "  Get  your 
guns!     Get  your  guns ! " 

The  ladies  fled  past  our  tent  and  stood  barefoot  in  the  dewy  grass, 
holding  fast  to  each  other,  with  eyes  dilating. 


98 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Rousing  up,  we  seized  each  what  he  could  first  get  hold  of,  for 
weapons,  and  sallied  out  in  our  stockings. 

"Out  behind  their  tent!"  Robin  exclaimed.  "The  Lord  only 
knows  what!" 

We  made  for  their  tent  and  edged  round  it.  , 

There  it  stood  I 

"By  the  Lord  Harry!"  muttered  Moses  O.  under  his  breath. 
Several  guns  were  cocked.  We  were  all  staring  hard.  But  the 
beast  seemed  to  be  gazing  calmly  at  us.  •  \ 

Louis  gave  an  impressive  "  humph ! " 

"Hold  on!"  exclaimed  Uncle  Johnny.  "Don't  fire!  Why! 
why,  you  dear  boys!     That  air's  an  ox ! " 

"  WhatV 

"Go-'long!  Hurrup!  Gee,  Bright!  Huh  Broad,  away  from 
there! "  shouted  Uncle  Johnny,  charging  on  the  calm  old  bovine,  and 
giving  him  some  sound  thumps  with  an  axe-handle. 

"Hoh!"  sneered  Wert  (another  of  our  new  friends).  "This  is 
nice!     But  how  the  dickens  did  that  old  ox  get  here?" 

That  was  the  puzzle.  We  were  looking  for  anything  sooner  than 
an  ox,  there. 

Robin  was  badly  sold. 

Meantime  "  Billy "  had  taken  after  the  ox  with  a  long  pole,  and 
goaded  him  off  into  the  woods.         - 

"Nothing  but  an  ox,"  Wert  had  called  to  the  ladies.  But  they 
would  not  stir  from  the  spot  where  they  stood,  for  a  long  time;  they 
seemed  rooted  there.         •  '        -  •  • 

"Oh!  we  heard  him,  and  heard  him  champing  so  horribly!" 
quavered  one.    "Gnawing  and  gnawing  at  something!"  v 

"  Chewing  his  cud,"  explained  Moses  O:  ' 

"  But  he  kept  smelling  and  snuffing  and  grabbing  all  along  the 
head  of  the  tent! "  she  persisted. 

"  Pulling  out  the  hay,"  said  Wert,  laughing.     They  stood  a  moment 


r 


A   NOCTURNAL  SCARE, 


99 


more,  then  all  four  went  straight  to  their  tent  and  shut  themselves 
up  in  it. 

"  They  must  have  some  cold  toes  standing  here  in  the  wet  grass," 


"DONT  FIRE  I   THAT  AIR'S  AN  OX!" 


observed  Moses  O.,  gazing  reflectively  after  them.     "  Louis,  you  had 
better  build  a  fire,  as  near  the  front  end  oi  the  tent  as  it  will  answer, 
so  they  can  dry  and  warm  their  feet." 
The  Indian  hastened  to  do  so. 


lOO 


THE  KNO.CK-ABOUT  C{.(/B. 


Tfie  old  ox  came  back.  In'the  mortiing  we  espied  him,  standing 
at  a  little  distance,  chewing  his  cud,  and  gazing  on  us  complace^itly, 
As  if  heenjoyfidthe  sight  of  us  with  all  his  heart.  By  daylight  he 
urned  out  to  be  a  dark-brown  ox,  instead  of  a  black  one. 

**  Billy  "  thought  that  the  Chamberlain  folks  had  used  the  ox  here 
about  their  haying,  or  to  draw  supplies  across  the  "  carry,"  and  so 
turned  him  out  to  get  his  own  living  in  the  clearing.  The  old  brute 
seemed  lonely,  and  no  doubt  pined  for  the  privileges  of  a  civilized 
barn-yard.  His  curly  old  face  and  great  inoffensive  eyes  seemed  to 
say,  "  Let  me,  at  least,  look  on ;  for  the  sight  of  you  does  me  good." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


nUMBLE-BEES'   NESTS.       STEIN'S   ADVENTURES. 

HE  ladies  did  not  seem  much  the  worse  for  their  mis- 
adventure, but  appeared  not  to  relish  any  alhision  to 
it.    The  subject  was  accordingly  tabooed. 

It  took  our  guides  till  hite  in  the  atlernoon  to  tote 
the  canoes  and  luggage  across  the  long  "  carry  "  to 
Mud  Pond.  We  spent  "the  day  with  our  newly-met 
friends,  and  had  a  superb  time.  It  was  a  most  cosy 
place  for.  camping  out,  there  in  that  old  clearing, 
among  the  bush  clumps  and  haystacks.  There  were  numerous 
bumble-bees'  nests  in  the  grass  and  about  the  old  stumps.  We  "  took 
up  "  not  less  than  ten  that  forenoon.  The  ladies  helped.  We  would 
each  get  a  great  "brush"  of  bushes  and  go  j;t"  the  bees,  by  guess. 
Nearly  all  got  stung  before  the  "craze"  was  over;  and  there  were 
some  of  the  most  ludicrous  scenes  imaginable  when  all  hands  were 
fighting  bees  at  once  I 

We  got  out  some  fine  bits  of  comb,  with  honey  as  clear  as  dew, 
for  the  ladies. 

',  In  the  afternoon  —  after  a  grand  union  dinner  from  the  combined 
supplies  of  all  three  parties,  and  four  ducks  our  friends  had  shot  — 
we  went  across  the  lake  in  their  canoes  upon  a  gumming  excursion 
on  the  farther  shore.  It  was  a  great,  sombre,  old  spruce  forest,  ex- 
tending back  over  the  hills.  In  many  places  there  were  trees 
with  long  cracks  and  seams  up  their  trunks,  studded  with  fine 
great  knobs  of  clear  gum.  We  dug  oflT  not  less  than  eight  pounds 
that  afternoon,  —  a  peck  basket-full,  in  fact.  It  was  a  novel  ex- 
perience. 


Next  morning  we  tore  our- 
selves away — most  reluctantly. 
G'adly  would  we  have  stayed  — 
a  month.  But  to  stay  seemed 
hardly  the  fair  and  honorable 
thing  from  us  towards  our  new 
friends,  the  Harvard  boys.  The 
two  parties  there  were  just  nice- 
ly matched  off  as  it  was,  and 
were  having  a  quiet,  enjoyable 
vacation.  I  regret  to  say  that  one 
or  two  of  our  party  were  suffi- 
ciently self-confident  to  think 
that  the  ladies  would  not  in  the 
least   object   to   our  remaining; 


TAKING  UP  BUMBLE-BEES'  NESTS. 


STEIN'S  ADVENTURES  WITH  TWO  BEARS. 


103 


but  the  rest  of  us  overruled  them,  holding  that  it  would  be  a  breach 
of  that  delicate  honor  which  ought  always  to  subsist  between  young 
gentlemen  in  such  cases. 

We  bade  them  all  good-bye,  and  wished  them  a,  happy  va- 
cation, hoping  we  might  meet  again  next  year;  and  so  parted  the 
very  best  of  friends,  which  we  might  not  have  remained  had  we 
stayed. 

Crossing  Mud  Pond,  we  had  a  second  "carry"  of  half  a  mile 
to  Chamberlain  Lake:  a  broad,  sea-like  expanse  twenty  miles  long 
by  four  in  width.  The  day  was  calm,  and  launching  our  "  birches  " 
fearlessly  on  the  lake,  we  crossed  to  the  "  farm "  on  the  north-east 
shore,  seventy  miles  from  any  other  house. 

Here  we  remained  three  days,  mainly  to  gratify  our  comrade 
Stein,  who  became  much  interested  in  the  mineralogy  of  the  locality. 
He  made  numerous  excursions  to  the  ledges  and  hills  about  the  farm, 
and  off  to  adjoining  clearings  connected  with  it  by  cart-roads.  They 
let  him  have  an  old  farm-horse  there,  named  "Jed,"  to  ride.  Mean- 
time, the  rest  of  us  fished  and  hunted,  but  saw  very  little  game.  Odd- 
ly enough.  Stein,  who  was  not  aftei  game  at  all,  had  two  adventures 
with  bears.  As  he  was  hero  of  these,  and  alone  at  the  time,  I  record 
them  in  his  own  language.  "  Ben,"  the  foreman  at  the  farm,  had  de- 
scribed some  wonderful  "  black  diamonds  "  to  him,  and  Stein  had  set 
off  on  old  Jed,  with  hammer  and  saddle-bags,  to  get  specimens. 


STEIN'S   ADVENTURES  WITH  TWO  BEARS. 

There  was  a  new  road  for  three  or  four  miles  [as  he  relates].  My 
route  then  led  me  along  a  disused  lumber-road,  which  followed  up  the  valley 
of  a  large  brook.  It  was  a  very  desolate,  wild  tract,  but  I  readily  found  the 
ledges  and  the  black  crystals  which  Ben  had  described.  These  proved  to 
be  very  fine,  large  crystals  of  tourmaline,  some  of  them  fully  six  inches  long 
by  two  and  three  in  diameter.  I  set  off"  to  return  a  little  before  sundown. 
As  nearly  as  I  now  remember,  I  had  gone  a  mile  and  a  half,  perhaps  more, 


I04 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


for  the  sun  had  now  set  to  me  in  the  valley  of  the  lumber-road,  when  my 
horse,  which  had  thus  far  plodded  on  soberly  enough,  stopped  short  and 
began  to  enort  and  stamp.  After  a  moment  or  two  I  tried  to  urge  the  horse 
along.  He  set  his  forefeet  and  snorted,  and  while  I  was  trying  to  spur  him 
up,  a  large  black  animal  —  a  bear,  I  knew  at  a  glance  —  trotted  out  into  the 
road  from  behind  a  clump  of  basswoods.  Seeing  us,  the  bear  stopped,  and 
stretched  out  an  inquiring  nose  towards  the  horse.  The  animal  was  perhaps 
a  hundred  ftet  ahead  of  us. 
I  felt  the  horse  begin  to 
tremble  under  me.  His  ears 
were  bent  forward,  every 
nerve  tightening.  I  kept 
speaking  to  him,  and  shout- 
ed at  the  bear,  which  stood 
looking  sullenly  at  us.  I 
didn't  know  what  to  do  ;  but 
old  Jed  settled  that  question 
for  me.  All  h'is  fear  seemed 
suddenly  to  turn  into  rage, 
and  he  bounded  iit  the  bear 
like  a  fury.  I  came  near 
going  oft'  his  back  at  the 
first  leap,  but  clutched  his 
mane  and  hung  on.  The 
next  thing  I  recollect  seeing 
was  the  bear  almost  under 
the  horse's  forefeet,  running 
and  growling,  the  horse  bit- 
ing wildly  at  him.  It 
seemed  as  if  we  must  come 
down  plump  '^n  tc>  the  bear 
at  every  spring.  IJe  was 
right  under  the  horse's  fore-hoofs  at  each  plunge.  I  should  think  we 
went  a  hundred  rods  down  the  road  in  just  that  way,  the  horse  almost 
trampling  on  the  bear  at  every  jump.  At  length  he  tacked  suddenly  out 
of  the  lumber-road  into  the  woods,  and  the  horse,  rushing  frantically  after 
him,  dashed  under  some  h  mlocks,  the  low  boughs  of  which  scraped 
me  off  his  back  and  sent  me  rolling  into  a  little  hollow.     I  got  up  and 


"I   MET  THE   OLD  BEAR." 


STEIN'S  ADVENTURES   WITH  TWO  BEARS, 


105 


listened  awhile,  till  tht  horse  and  bear  had  gone  fairly  out  of  hearing, 
then  limped  back  to  the  farm  in  anything  but  a  comfortable  condition. 
Next  morning  we  found  the  horse  near  the  barn.  One  of  the  stiiTups  was 
torn  off,  and  he  had  lost  the  hammer  and  a  part  of  my  specimens  out  of  the 
saddle-bags.     How  he  had  come  off  with  the  bear  we  could  only  guess. 


But  I  was  destined  to  have  still  another  bear  adventure  in  that  region. 

The  second  day  after  I  went  up  to  "Ben's"  "diamond  ledge"  again,  on 
foot  this  time,  and  was  returning  through  partly  cleared  pasture-land^, 
when  I  came  suddenly  upon  a  little  wee  chub  of  a  creature,  with  a  yellow 
face,  sharp  ears,  and  brownish  back  and  sides.  'Twas  a  bear-cub  —  a 
little  suckling.  It  ran  a  few  steps,  and  hid  itself  beside  a  stump.  I 
played  with  it  a  while,  and  found  that  it  wouldn't  bite,  and  then  thought 
I  would  carry  him  to  the  farm.  So  I  caught  him  up,  took  him  under 
my  arm,  and  started.  The  little  chap  whimpered  some,  and  soon  began 
to  squeal.  I  was  afraid  the  mother-bear  might  be  about,  and  so  started 
to  run.  There  was  a  sheep-path  tliere  which  wound  in  and  out  among 
the  bush  clumps.  I  hurried  along  this  path,  and  had  gone  twenty  or  thirty 
rods,  when  round  one  of  the  hazel  clumps  I  met  the  old  bear  coming 
up  the  path  —  liked  to  have  run  plump  against  her!  My  first  impulse 
was  to  drop  the  cub ;  but  as  suddenly  recollecting  that  I  had  heard  it 
said  that  a  bear  would  not  touch  a  person  so  long  as  he  held  her  cub  in 
his  arms,  I  clasped  the  little  fellow  close  and  stood  still,  though  not  a 
little  frightened,  I  must  needs  confess.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  expression 
on  that  old  creature's  face,  as  she  stood  there  not  six  feet  from  me,  with 
her  eyes  fixed  on  mine,  studying  my  every  movement.  I  backed  off  a 
few  steps ;  she  followed  each  step.  I  then  advanced  a  step,  and  she  fell 
back,  always  with  her  eye  on  mine.  Had  I  put  down  the  cub  I  have  little 
doubt  she  would  have  sprung  upon  me. 

I  walked  round  then  for  some  minutes,  holding  the  cub.  Now  that  his 
mother  was  there,  the  little  fellow  did  not  seem  to  be  so  scared.  The  old 
bear  kept  right  round  with  me,  always  facing  me.  I  thought  of  climbing  a 
tree,  and  then  dropping  the  cub  ;  but  there  were  no  trees  thereabouts  which  I 
could  climb  and  hold  the  cub  too. 

While  I  was  looking  about  I  happened  to  spy  the  roof  of  a  shanty,  built 
of  logs,  in  a  hollow  by  a  brook  down  to  the  west  of  me.  For  this  I  started, 
making  my  way  along  by  zigzags.  On  getting  nearer,  I  saw  that  it  was  an 
old  deserted  hovel ;  but  I  went  on  to  the  door,  w^hich  had  a  large  wooden 


io6 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


button.  As  we  came  closer,  the  bear  seemed  to  divine  some  stratagem  on 
my  part,  for  she  placed  herself  directly  in  front  of  the  door,  and  would  not 
budge  an  inch.  By  going  round  the  shanty,  however,  I  drew  her  after  me, 
and  making  a  quick  run  from  the  back  side,  I  opened  the  door  and  whipped 


'THE  HORSE   BITIWG  WILDLY  AT   HIM." 


STEIN'S  ADVENTURES  WITH  TWO  BEARS. 


107 


in,  hoping  to  shut  out  the  bear.     But  so  closely  did  the  brute  come  at  my 
heels,  that  she  shoved  her  way  in  despite  all  my  celerity. 

We  were  now  all  inside  together,  with  no  better  prospect  of  getting 
apart  than  before,  that  I  could  see.  But  there  were  two  old  barrels  in  the 
shanty.  I  began  to  walk  round  these  and  tip  them  towards  the  door,  and  at 
length,  getting  them  about  where  I  wanted  them,  I  kicked  theia  both  over  in 
front  of  the  old  bear  as  she  trotted  round  after  me,  and  suddenly  dropping 
the  cub,  jumped  out  at  the  door  and  buttoned  it.  I  then  took  myself  off  as, 
fast  as  I  could  run. 

On  reaching  the  farm  I  told  my  adventure.  My  comrades  took  their 
guns  and  went  back  to  the  shanty  with  me ;  but  the  old  bear  had  burst  off 
the  button  and  gone  with  her  cub. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


CAMPING  AT  THE  GREAT  DAM.       UNCLE  JOHN'S   STORY. 

I  ROM  the  "farm"  we  went  down  the  lake  to  the 
"  locks,"  or  dam,  and  thence,  during  the  day,  paddled 
our  way  northward  through  Eagle  and  Churchill 
lakes,  —  both  fine,  broad  forest-and-mountain-girt  ex- 
panses, —  camping  late  that  evening  near  the  ruins  of 
the  "  great  dam  "  of  lumbering  fame  and  story,  at  the 
foot  of  the  latter  lake. 

This  was  the  dam  which  turned  the  chain  of  lakes, 
down  which  we  had  come,  back  into  the  Penobscot,  through  the 
famous  "  cut "  at  the  south  end  of  Chamberlain  Lake. 

It  was  a  vast  structure  of  stone  and  huge  timbers,  about  four  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  and  designed  to  hold  back  a  "  head  "  of  twenty 
feet  of  water;  and  in  spring  and  early  summer  it  flowed  an  area  of 
about  a  hundred  and  sixty  square  miles.  In  its  day  it  was  a  terrible 
bone  of  contention  between  the  Maine  and  the  Province  lumbermen. 
Uncle  Johnny  remembered  all  about  it;  he  had  worked  at  lumbering 
in  his  younger  days,  and  round  our  camp-fire  that  evening  he  told  us 
a  thrilling  story  of  the  fierce  fight  which  had  occurred  there,  at  the 
very  spot  on  which  we  were  now  so  peacefully  encamping — of  which 
he  was  an  eye-witness,  and  indeed  one  of  the  combatants. 


UNCLE  JOHN'S   STORY. 

At  that  time  Uncle  John  worked  with  a  gang  of  "  choppers  "  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Messrs.  Cary  &  Glaisher,  who  were  then  lumbering  on  the  Alleguash, 
and  doing  a  large  business;  for  in  those  days  lumbering  operations  were 


UNCLE  JOHN'S  STORY. 


109 


conducted  on  a  larger  scale,  and  through  longer  periods  of  time,  than  at 
present.  They  had  four  hundred  men  employed  for  two  years  upon  a  single 
job  —  one  that  was  well-nigh  shipwrecked  by  the  building  ok  tlie  great  dam. 

As  was  then  frequently  the  case,  the  men  were  hired  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  would  be  paid  when  the  logs  were  in  the  St.  John  booms, 
not  before.  In  fact,  their  employers  had  not  capital  to  pay  until  the  lumber 
was  sold.  For  two  successive  winters  the  Gary  &  Glaisher  gangs  had  been 
hard  at  work.  All 
along  the  banks  of 
the  Alleguash  were 
"landings"  piled  up 
with  logs,  acres  and 
acres  of  them,  ready 
to  roll  into  the  stream. 

Spring  was  com- 
ing with  its  freshets. 
The  swollen  waters 
would  float  the  lum- 
ber down ;  and  the 
men,  long  shut  up  in 
the  wilderness,  would 
see  the  "world" 
again.  The  floods 
from  the  Chamber- 
lain, Eagle,  and 
Churchill  lakes 
would  then  make 
this  wild  river-bed 
boil  like  a  pot. 

It  was  the  19th  of  March.  Word  had  already  been  passed  to  "break 
in  "the  landings,  when  like  a  thunderbolt  the  news  came  that  the  "  Penobscot 
men  "  had  dammed  the  river.  Two  moose-hunters  brought  the  story.  All 
knew  what  that  meant.  It  meant  ruin ;  it  meant  no  pay ;  it  meant  the  utter 
loss  of  two  years'  hard  labor.  The  men  were  a  lot  of  rough  fellows, — 
backwoodsmen,  Irish,  Scotch,  Canadian-French,  and  Indians,  —  the  pos- 
sessors of  nothing  in  the  world  save  their  axes,  "  peevies,"  and  the  few 
dirty  rags  on  their  backs.  On  first  hearing  the  news  they  seemed  stupefied, 
and  sat  inertly  around  their  camp-fires  for  several  days.     But  dark  thoughts 


OLD  TIMES  ON  THE  ALLEGUASH. 


no 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


began  to  be  uttered  in  murmurs,  like   the  growls  of  wild   beasts.     Their 
employers  feared  for  their  lives,  but  durst  not  attempt  to  leave  them. 

Thus  for  three  weeks  the  matter  stood.  No  work  was  done.  The 
gang  was  sulky  and  grew  desperate;  would  not  hear  a  word  of  advice  or 
remonstrance.  Meanwhile  a  small  party  had  been  off  to  reconnoitre.  It 
was  thirty  miles  to  the  dam.  They  came  back  and  reported  that  "a  dam 
with  a  lift  of  twenty  feet  had  been  built,  and  every  gate  shut,  hard  and 
fast." 

This  ahnouncement  was  received  with  a  savage  "  aye  I  "  . 

Then  a  hoarse  cry  arose :  "  Who's  up  there  ?  " 

"Turtlotte  and  six  men." 

Not  a  man  but  knew  Turtlotte,  the  French  giant,  —  knew  him,  hated 
him,  dreaded  him.  One  of  those  terrible  fellows  who  literally  bruise  their 
way  through  the  world.  Six  feet  and  a  half  tall,  so  it  was  stated  ;  all  brawn 
and  ugly  muscle.  Head  and  neck  like  a  bull ;  features  like  a  gorilla.  Fist 
like  a  sledge ;  with  it  he  had  time  and  again  beep  known  to  knock  an  ox 
down ;  a  fist  half  the  gang  had  felt  the  wicked  weight  of.  Quarrelsome  by 
nature,  revengeful  as  an  Indian,  cruel  as  a  brute.  Thus,  at  least,  have  his  con- 
temporaries drawn  him.  His  record  ran  back  over  a  long  series  of  fights  and 
bloody  assaults,  in  which  he  was  invariably  the  aggressor  and  victor.  He 
was  even  said  to  have  killed  two  men ;  while  the  number  he  had  maimed 
and  scarred  for  life  was  quite  too  large  to  be  told  of  at  one  sitting. 

Those  were  lawless  times  and  wild  regions,  it  should  be  remembered. 

It  was  not  without  good  reasons  that  the  Bangor  men  had  secured  the 
services  of  this  ferocious  ruffian,  and  set  him  to  watch  over  a  piece  of  prop-' 
erty  certainly  very  liable  to  be  violently  dealt  with. 

Turtlotte  and  his  confreres^  armed  with  double-barrelled  guns,  were 
guarding  the  new  dam. 

The  men  raged  and  cursed.  Cary  and  Glaisher  went  round  among  the 
shanties.     They  took  off  their  hats  to  the  gang. 

"Men,"  said  Glaisher,  "every  dollar  we've  got  in  the  world  lays  there 
flat  in  the  river.  So  long  as  it  lays  there  we  can't  pay  ye  a  cent.  God 
knows  that's  the  truth ;  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it." 

It  is  admitted  that  neither  Glaisher  nor  Cary  said  a  word  about  the  dam, 
or  hinted  that  it  should  be  destroyed.     But  the  thing  spoke  for  itself. 

The  movements  of  such  bodies  of  ignorant  men,  when  wrought  upon  by 
great  excitements,  show  a  strange  intuitive  freakishness  very  difficult  to  ex- 
plain.    Cary  and  Glaisher  stayed  by  them,  though  quite  uncertain  what 


UNCLE  JOHN'S  STORY. 


Ill 


direction  the  fury  of  the  gang  might  take.  To  add  to  the  trouble,  the  stock 
of  provisions  was  nearly  exhausted. 

But  a  few  nights  afterwards,  about  fifty  men  lefl  the  camp,  unbeknown  to 
the  others.  Their  employers  surmised  where  they  had  gone ;  but  nothing 
was  said  by  any  one. 

The  day  passed.  About  midnight  there  came  a  rush  of  water.  The 
river  rose  fifteen  feet  in  an  hourl  Every  log  floated  and  went  whirling 
down  the  channel.  The  gang  followed  them.  Water  had  come  from  some 
source. 

But  where  were  the  fifty?  Uncle  John  relates:  "Somebody  waked  me 
up  about  one  o'clock  that  night.  It  was  very  dark.  He  said,  '  Take  your 
axe  and  come  along,  and  r  >  foolin'.' 

"  I  got  up  and  followed  this  person  out  into  the  woods.  I  didn't  know  how 
many  there  were  in  the  party,  nor  who  they  were.  Nobody  said  where  we 
were  going.  I  asked  no  questions.  We  started  up  the  river.  We  had  our 
axes.  But  there  wasn't  a  mouthful  of  victuals  for  anybody.  I  felt  queer  — 
as  if  I  was  on  a  life  or  death  business. 

"We  went  fast,  part  of  the  time  at  a  dog-trot.  I  never  was  up  that  way 
before,  and  had  no  idea  how  far  it  was  to  the  dam.  It  was  thick,  black 
growth  all  the  way. 

"A  little  after  daybreak  one  of  the  men  said,  'We're  'most  there;*  and 
then  I  heard  the  plunge  of  the  water  over  the  dam  at  a  distance. 

"  We  halted  a  few  minutes  to  rest.  We  had  come  thirty  miles  and  over, 
but  nobody  complained.  I  think  that. some  of  the  men  now  went  ^head  to 
see  how  the  dam  was  placed.  Orders  were  passed  to  string  out  in  a  half- 
circle'  and  then  close  up  at  a  run.  In  a  few  minutes  we  came  out  into  a 
clearing,  where  we  saw  the  dam,  with  two  shanties  close  by  it,  and  the  lake 
water  back  of  the  dam  standing  at  a  high  level.  It  was  barely  light.  We 
had  come  up  to  within  ten  rods  of  the  two  shanties,  when  a  dog  barked,  and 
I  saw  the  big  fellow  they  called  Turtlotte  come  out  with  a  gun  in  his  hand. 
He  had  the  deepest,  heaviest  voice  I  ever  heard.  The  moment  he  set  eyes 
on  us  he  called  out  to  know  what  was  wanted  there.  We  told  him,  *  Water, 
to  float  our  "  drive "  down  the  Alleguash.'  The  fellow  gave  us  a  furious 
curse. 

"*  Be  ofFI '  said  he,  *  or  I'll  give  you  hell-fire  instead  of  water  I' 

"  His  voice  was  like  a  trumpet,  and  the  words  seemed  to  come  from  deep 
down  in  his  body.  The  men  watching  the  dam  with  him  came  out.  They 
looked  like  boys  beside  the  Frenchman. 


112 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


"  One  of  our  men  then  spoke  right  to  the  point.  '  We  have  not  come  to 
break  the  darn,'  said  he.  'All  we  want '"  water  enough  to  start  out  our  "  drive," 
and  that  water  we're  bound  to  have.  We'll  die,  every  man  of  us,  but  what 
we'll  have  it.  We're  going  to  hoist  these  gates,  and  if  you  try  to  hinder  us, 
you're  "dead  men."' 

"  The  men  with  Turtlotte  did  not  want  to  fight.  They  called  out  to  us 
that  they  did  not.  But  Turtlotte  defied  us  with  the  most  awful  oaths,  and 
threatened  the  men  with  him,  if  they  did  not  stand  to  it. 

"  Then  somebody  sang  out,    '  Go  for  him  1 '   and    about   half  the  men 

made  a  rush  at  the 
Frenchman.  He 
let  both  barrels  of 
his  gun  drive 
among  us  as  we 
ran  on  him.  One 
man  got  three  buck- 
shot. But  nobody 
stopped.  The  mo- 
ment we  were  with- 
in arm's  length, 
Turtlotte  clubbed 
his  gun  and  struck 
at  a  young  fellow 
called  Jack  Cardi- 
gan. Jack  was 
quick  as  light;  he 
caught  the  stroke 
on  his  axe.  That 
saved  his  head.    It 

Scrawled  Jack  out,  though.  Before  Turtlotte  could  strike  again,  we  were 
on  him.  The  men  dropped  their  axes  and  '  matted '  right  on  to  him.  I 
never  saw  anything  like  it.  We  were  none  of  us  babies,  but  Turtlotte 
was  a  tremendous  man,  a  perfect  giant  for  strength.  He  kept  throwing 
us  oflT,  heels  over  head.  But  our  fellows  were  as  desperate  as  he  was. 
They  leaped  at  him  just  like  wolves ;  and  wherever  they  caught  they 
hung  to  him.  His  fists  went  round  there  I  I  got  one  lick  from  his  old 
paw  that  just  knocked  me  clear  oflf  the  ground.  At  last  we  brought  him 
down ;   but  then  we   couldn't  hold   him.     He  twisted  and  squirmed  and 


IN  THE  DEAD  WATER. 


UNCLE  JOHN'S  STORY. 


"3 


doubled  under  us  for  more  than  a  hundred  feet  from  the  place  where  he 
first  went  down. 

"  I  expect  we  used  him  pretty  hard.  He  got  punched  and  kicked  with- 
out mercy.  There  was  a  long  hawser  there,  such  as  lumbermen  call  a 
warping-line.  We  took  that  and  tied  him  to  a  spruce ;  wound  it  round  him 
more  than  fifty  times,  so  that  he  could  not  stir  a  hand.  After  the  first  grap- 
ple, Turtlotte  never  uttered  a  sound,  save  gritting  his  t'^eth ;  but  he  foamed 
at  the  mouth  like  a  wild  boar. 

"  The  men  with  him  did  not  take  any  part  in  the  fight.  They  stood  off 
and  watched  the  tussle.  I  expect  like  as  not  they  were  glad  to  see  Turtlotte 
catch  it.  We  told  them  to  leave  the  place,  and  not  to  be  seen  there  again  for 
three  days.  Then  we  hoisted  all  the  gates.  We  left  Turtlotte  tied  to  the 
spruce ;  and  I  heard  afterwards  that  he  had  to  stand  there  two  days." 

Such  was  Uncle  Johnny's  tale  of  "y*  olden  time." 


CHAPTER  X. 


DOWN   THE   ALLEGUASH.      UNCLE   AMOS'  STORY. 

|HESE  lakes  are  the  headwaters  of  Alleguash  River, 
which  makes  out  to  the  north  here  at  the  old  dam, 
joining  the  St.  John,  of  which  it  is  the  east  fork,  sev- 
enty or  eighty  miles  below. 

We  set  off  the  following  day  down  the  river,  finding 
very  rough  canoeing  for  six  or  seven  miles,  then 
emerging  on  two  fine,  long  lakes,  or  bulges  of  the 
river,  where  we  were  able  to  use  our  rubber  blankets 
as  sails  for  our  three  canoes.  The  forest  scenery  is  good  here  along; 
and  our  guides  had  numerous  odd,  often  weird,  stories  to  tell  of  old- 
time  adventures  in  the  *'  lumbering  days." 

One  of  these,  told  by  "Uncle  Amos,"  so  impressed  Karzy,  from  its 
singularity,  that  he  has  written  it  out — to  be  a  warning  (he  wishes  it 
stated)  against  playing  practical  jokes. 

Since  the  affair  with  the  old  moose,  down  on  the  Umbazooksous, 
**  Karzy  "  has  been  dead  against  that  kind  of  joke. 


UNCLE  AMOS'  STORY. 

It  this  very  strange  but  true  story  —  as  told  us  by  Uncle  Amos — has  the 
effect  of  showing  the  foolishness  and  danger  of  playing  mischievous  tricks,  it 
will  well  repay  the  trouble  of  telling  it.  The  incident  occurred  many  years 
ago,  on  the  Alleguash  River ;  and  the  subject  of  it  was  a  most  tricksy,  mon- 
key-like youngster,  named  Peter  Lougee.  That^  at  least,  was  the  name  he 
gave  on  presenting  himself  to  hire  into  the  logging  gang  that  winter.  But  it 
was  not  ascertained  where  he  was  from,  or  whether  his  parents,  or,  indeed, 


UNCLE  AMOS'  STORY, 


"S 


any  of  his  relatives,  were  living.  He  was  eighteen  years  old  —  bo  he  told  the 
lumber  company's  agent  —  but  he  did  not  look  over  nixteen. 

The  agent  at  tirst  refused  to  hire  him  aH  a  "  chopper  ;  "  hut  Peter,  laying 
hold  of  an  axe,  showed  so  ready  a  hand  and  so  cluun  a  scurf  with  it,  that  he 
took  him  without  further  question. 

The  agent  declared  afterwards  that  "  Peter  had  a  droll  eye  in  his  head." 


A  SCENE  ON  THE  ALLE0UA8H. 

He  was  told  off  into  gang  No.  13,  numbering  twenty-four  men,  and  sent  up 
the  Alleguash,  early  in  December,  under  a  "boss"  named  Sweetser.  The 
company  went  into  the  woods  for  the  winter,  taking  their  supplies  with  them. 
The  men  were  a  miscellaneous  gathering  of  Mudawaskians  (French), 
"  Blue  Noses,"  Yankees,  and  a  few  Indians  from  Tobique.  During  the  winter 
they  were  to  cut  the  lumber  on  a  certain  tract  along  the  river ;  and  in  the 
spring  they  were  to  **  drive  "  it  down  the  St.  John,  to  Fredericton. 


Il6 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


m 


For    the    first    few   days    the    men   were    occupied    in    building    and 
thatching  their  camp ;  then  began  the  winter's  work  of  felling  and  draw- 
ing  the    logs   to  "  landings "  on  the  bank, 
ready  to  roll  into  the  stream  when  the  ice 
should  break  up. 

It  was   a  good-natured   gang ;    that  is 

to    say,   the    men    worked    well    together, 

and  got  along  without  "  rows," 

or    serious     disputes    of    any 

kind.     That  is  more  than  can 


Si.j^i^W"'-'' 


A  LOGGING  CAMP. 


UNCLE  AMOS'  STORY. 


117 


always  be  said  where  a  lot  of  rough  fellows,  of  all  nationalities,  are  brought 
together  in  one  camp. 

But  during  the  second  week  an  odd  piece  of  mischief  was  done.  On 
going  out  to  grind  the  axQS  one  morning,  it  was  found  that  grease  had  been 
turned  on  the  grindstone,  which  hung  in  a  frame  close  by  the  camp-door. 
In  the  "fire-bed"  there  was  set  an  old  pan  of  grease,  with  a  swab  with  which 
the  men  greased  their  moccasins.  This  pan  of  hot  grease,  as  it  seemed,  had 
been  poured  on  the  stone,  completely  encrusting  it. 

It  took  half  the  forenoon  to  scour  the  grease  from  the  grindstone,  thus 
causing  loss  of  time  and  annoyance.  Sweetser  could  not  find  out  who 
had  caused  all  this  trouble,  even  after  strict  inquiry;  still  less  could  he 
discern  any  motive  for  so  absurd  a  trick.  The  men  all  declared  that 
they  knew  nothing  about  it,  and  they  appeared  innocent.  Sweetser  told 
them  that  whoever  did  it,  if  found  out,  would  have  his  time  "cut"  to  offset 
the  loss. 

The  second  morning  after,  the  stone  was  found  greased  again;  Then 
there  followed  great  excitement  among  the  men.  "  It's  Old  Nick  himself," 
the  "Blue  Noses"  said.  "The  thing's  bewitched."  The  Madawaskians 
**  sacrSd;^'  and  the  Indians  grunted. 

The  boss  observed  the  gang  closely,  but  was  as  much  puzzled  as  before. 
He  was,  however,  satisfied  that  the  trick  had  been  done  during  the  night. 
He  said  nothing,  but  resolved  to  watch,  without  letting  any  one  know  it. 

That  night  he  lay  down  as  usual,  but  kept  awake.  There  was  no  sign 
of  mischief,  and  the  stone  was  not  touched.  The  next  night  it  was  also 
undisturbed. 

By  the  third  night  Sweetser  had  grown  very  sleepy  by  reason  of  his 
vigils.  A  little  after  midnight,  however,  he  was  roused  by  one  of  the  men 
getting  up  from  off  the  bunk.  Creeping  out  quietly,  Sweetser  collared  him 
in  the  very  act  of  greasing  the  stone — the  warm  pan  in  his  hand  ! 

It  was  Peter  Lougee,  and  little  enough  had  he  to  say  for  himself.  The 
boss  gave  him  a  sound  cufling  and  shaking,  and  sent  him  back  to  the  bunk, 
with  the  promise  of  as  good  a  whipping  as  birch  withes  could  give  him,  if 
caught  at  another  such  a  trick. 

At  breakfast  in  the  morning,  "the  man  what  greased  the  grindstone"  was 
greeted  with  a  roar  of  mockery.  But  Peter  protested  that  he  knew  nothing 
of  the  trick,  and  that  if  he  did  do  it,  he  did  it  in  his  sleep.  He  even  denied 
that  he  recollected  anything  of  the  shaking  Sweetser  had  given  him,  saying 
that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  walking  in  his  sleep  and  doing  tricks  of  some 


Ii8 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


sort.     Neither  the  boss,  nor  any  of  the  gang,  believed  a  word  of  this  stor}' ; 
but  they  hardly  knew  just  what  to  make  of  the  boy. 

The  men  all  smoked,  and  used  to  lay  their  pipes  on  a  shelf  that  was  • 
placed  on  one  side  of  the  shanty  for  that  purpose.  About  a  week  after  the 
grindstone  trick,  all  the  pipes  were  found  to  have  lamp-oil  turned  into  their 
bowls.  Whale-oil  was  used  in  the  shanty,  and  a  jug  of  it  was  among  the 
other  supplies.  Every  pipe,  Peter's  with  the  rest,  was  well  saturated  with 
the  offensive  oil. 

It  is  quite  needless  to  say  that  this  prank  made  a  serious  commotion 
amongst  a  lot  of  old  smokers.  As  it  was  a  personal  matter,  Swtfetser  let 
them  settle  it  among  themselves.  The  way  they  settled  it  was  by  taking 
Peter,  without  asking  him  any  questions,  down  on  to  the  river,  cutting 
a  hole  through  the  ice,  and  "  dousing  him  "  till  he  could  neither  stand  nor 
speak. 

Sweetser  began  to  think  that  he  had  a  "  hard  customer  "  on  his  hands ; 
but  for  the  next  fortnight  Peter  played  no  more  tricks,  and  then  came  the 
most  serious  disturbance  of  all  that  occurred. 

Somebody  —  Peter  of  course  —  put  molasses  on  the  "  deacon's  seat,"  as 
they  call  the  long  bench  at  the  foot  of  the  bunk,  on  which  the  men  sit  when 
at  table.  It  was  poured  —  a  most  generous  puddle — along  the  whole 
length  of  the  seat.  As  the  men  rose  and  ate  their  breakfast  before  light  (six 
o'clock),  more  than  half  of  them  sat  down  in  the  sticky  stuff  before  it  was 
known  that  it  was  there. 

Any  one  can  imagine  what  an  uproar  would  naturally  arise  among  a  lot 
of  rough  fellows  like  these.  "  Break  his  neck  !  "  was  the  almost  unanimous 
sentiment.  The  boss  was  obliged  to  interfere,  or  Peter  would  have  fared 
worse  than  he  did  at  the  ducking. 

On  being  seriously  questioned  by  Sweetser,  why  he  persisted  in  such  fool- 
ish pranks,  thus  bringing  on  himself  the  enmity  of  the  whole  gang,  he 
grinned,  and  said  he  did  not  know  when  he  did  it. 

The  boss  did  not  believe  this  statement.  There  was,  besides,  an  odd 
manner  about  the  boy,  and  his  way  of  talking  was  not  calculated  to  inspire 
confidence  in  what  he  said. 

At  first  Sweetser  was  disposed  to  flog  him  soundly,  though  he  felt  that 
even  this  punishment  was  likely  to  do  but  little  good.  Then  he  determined 
to  give  him  a  reduced  bill  of  his  time,  and  send  him  off  down  the  river,  feel- 
ing assured  that  the  angry  men  would  execute  their  threat  and  really  "  break 
his  neck,"  if  any  new  trick  was  played  upon  them.     He  was,  however,  sent 


UNCLE  AMOS'  STORY. 


119 


out  to  chop  that  day,  and  a  lively  time  of  it  Peter  had  in  dodging  the  chips 
and  knots  which  flew  most  unaccountably  about  his  head. 

Meanwhile,  Sweetser  was  considering  the  matter.  There  really  was  not 
a  better  chopper  in  the  gang  than  Peter,  and  the  boss  did  not  like  to  lose 
him. 

While  he  thought  it  over —  he  was  a  live  Yankee  —  a  bright  idea  popped 
into  his  head.  They  had  brought  the  axes,  "peevies,"  warping-lines,  etc., 
up  the  river  in  a  greal  chest,  such  as  lumbermen  call  a  "  wangin."  It  was 
six  or  seven  feet  long  by  four  wide,  and  perhaps  three  feet  in  height. 

When  new,  the  chest  had  been  furnished  with  a  lock,  but  this  had  come 
off,  leaving  a  ragged  hole  in  the  side  as  large  as  a  man's  fist.  The  lid  was 
now  fastened  in  place  by  a  hasp  on  the  outside. 

That  night,  at  about"  turning-in "  time,  Sweetser  had  the  wangin  brought 
into  the  shanty,  and  the  peevies  and  warps  taken  out.  He  then  threw  in  a 
coverlet,  and  turning  to  Peter,  bade  him  get  into  it,  adding  that  in  future 
he  might  consider  it  as  his  bunk,  one  from  which  he  would  not  be  able  to  get 
out  in  his  sleep  and  trouble  other  people. 

But  this  device  for  keeping  him  quiet,  though  it  greatly  amused  the  men, 
in  no  way  suited  Peter.  He  refused  to  sleep  in  the  chest,  and,  resisting  stub- 
bornly, was  caught  hold  of  by  several  of  the  men,  and  put  in  despite  his 
struggling  and  kicking.  The  lid  was  shut  down  and  hasped.  He  howled 
at  them  through  the  hole,  and  they  threw  cold  water  in  his  face  through  it, 
till  he  was  glad  to  lie  down  and  remain  quiet. 

In  the  morning  he  was  let  out.  Though  rather  close,  it  was  by  no  means 
an  uncomfortable  place  in  which  to  sleep. 

After  this,  as  regularly  as  night  came,  Peter  slept  in  his  box,  but  almost 
always  had  to  be  put  into  it  by  main  force,  or  at  least  sharply  ordered  to  get 
in.  It  was,  "  Here,  you  prowling  dog,  be  getting  into  that  wangin  !  "  and  not 
unfrequently  he  would  have  to  be  "  wet  down  "  before  he  would  quietly  go  to 
sleep. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  the  "landings"  of  logs  were  broken  in,  and  the 
business  of  driving  the  lumber  down  the  river  began.  The  wangin,  being 
needed  to  carry  the  tools  in,  was  loaded  mto  one  of  the  bateaux,  and  taken 
down  the  stream  each  day  as  far  as  the  gang  moved. 

The  men  camped  each  night  on  the  shore.  Peter  proved  an  excellent 
"  driver."  He  was  active,  quick  of  eye,  and  ready.  If  a  "  glut "  was  to  be 
broken,  or  an  eddy  cleared,  no  man  in  the  gang  could  be  sent  out  on  the 
stream  to  better  purpose. 


X20 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


For  three  nights  he  was  allowed  to  camp  v/ith  the  rest  of  the  crew.  On 
the  third  night,  however,  a  most  disagreeable  trick  was  played,  the  precise 
nature  of  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  tell. 

There  was  a  great  hubbub  about  it,  and  to  prevent  further  trouble, 
Sweetser  had  the  wangin  emptied  of  the  tools  each  night,  and  Peter  put  in  it 
as  before.  The  heavy  chest  remained  in  the  bateau,  which  was  moored  close 
to  the  night  camp. 

Matters  went  on  in  this  way  till  the  "drive"  was  below  Round  Pond, 
about  seven  miles  above  Alleguash  Falls,  when  one  morning,  wangin, 
bateau,  and  Peter  were  missing.  The  bateau  had  been  drawn  up  the 
previous  night.  Maxime  Thibbedeau,  who  had  taken  it  down  the  river 
the  afternoon  before,  asserted  that  he  had  made  it  fast  to  a  sapling  with  the 
painter  line. 

If  he  told  the  truth,  there  was  reason  to  suppose  that  Peter  had  got  loose 
during  the  night  and  taken  French  leave  of  them.  But  Sweetser  had  his 
doubts ;  he  was  afraid  that  the  bateau  had  been  drawn  up  without  hitching, 
and  that  the  rise  of  the  river  had  floated  it  off  in  the  night. 

Without  stopping  a  moment,  he  took  three  men  with  him  and  set  off  down 
the  bank  of  the  stream  as  fast  as  possible,  looking  sharply  for  the  bateau,  but 
not  seeing  it.  They  reached  the  Falls  about  nine  o'clock.  It  is  a  cataract 
about  forty  or  fifty  feet  high. 

In  the  pool  below  there  was  a  great  "glut"  of  logs,  foam,  and  driftwood, 
and  in  this  eddy  they  found  the  wangin.  It  was  half  full  of  water ;  the 
old  coverlet  was  still  in  it,  but  the  lid  had  been  burst  off  at  the  hinges, 
though  still  hanging  by  the  hasp.  The  hinge  screws  looked  as  if  they  had 
been  dug  out  from  the  inside  with  a  jack-knife.  That  was  all  the  clue 
there  was. 

Whether  Peter  had  dug  them  out,  and  then  casting  loose  the  boat,  had 
made  off  down  the  river's  bank,  letting  the  bateau  go  over  the  Falls  to 
mystify  the  gang,  or  whether  the  bateau  floated  away  of  itself,  and  Peter, 
awaking,  had  dug  frantically  and  in  vain  to  escape,  were  questions  nobody 
could  answer. 

Thibbedeau  persisted  in  his  assertions  that  he  had  hitched  the  bateau 
to  a  sapling ;  but  in  such  a  case  his  word  was  probably  of  no  great  value. 

On  the  following  day  they  came  upon  the  wreck  of  the  bateau,  in  a 
"logan"  some  three  miles  below  the  cataract.  Despite  these  dubious  omens, 
there  was  a  general  impression  that  this  was  but  another  of  the  strange 
youngster's  tricks. 


UNCLE  AMOS'  STORY, 


121 


O'l  getting  down  .o  the  settlements,  diligent  inquiries  were  made;  but 
no  one  had  seen  him.  He  never  presented  himself  to  be  paid  his  winter's 
v/ages.  No  inquiry  was  ever  made  concerning  him  by  friends  or  relatives, 
if  he  had  any. 

Sweetser  made  a  statement  to  the  agent,  who  was  as  much  puzzled  as 
were  the  men  of  the  gang.  Peter  was  never  seen  again  in  that  locality, 
and  what  became  of  him.  He  whose  eye  sees  all  things  alone  knows. 

I  may  supplement  Uncle  Amos'  story,  as  told  by  Karzy,  by 
adding,  that  to  the  rest  of  our  party  it  looks  extremely  likely  that 
Peter  Lougee  went  over  Alleguash  Falls,  and  that  the  poor  fellow 
received  anything  but  fair  usage  from  first  to  last. 


CHAPTER    XL 

RIKE   AND   MOSES   O.   GO  MOOSE-HUNTING.       THE  RESULT. 


|HAT  night  we  camped  some  six  miles  below  the 
lowermost  of  the  two  long  lakes,  on  a  site  cleared 
among  the  firs  by  some  previous  party  of  tourists,  and 
plentifully  spread  with  yellowed  boughs.  On  these  we 
—  rather  injudiciously  —  spread  our  blankets,  and  the 
night  being  very  warm,  undertook  to  sleep  in  the  open 
air  without  the  tent.  But  those  old  boughs  were  the 
lair  of  a  most  numerous  family  of  "  ear-wigs,"  and  the 
warmth  of  our  bodies  soon  set  them  crawling  out  to  make  our  closer 
acquaintance.  The  result  was  a  most  unwelcome  rouse-out  shortly 
after  ten  o'clock,  and  the  shifting  of  the  camp  to  another  site. 

By  noon  next  day  we  emerged  from  the  wilderness  into  cleared 
land  where  there  were  a  number  of  settlers'  houses,  built  of  logs. 

Here  we  fell  in  with  a  man  named  Gourill,  who  called  himself  a 
hunter  and  guide.  This  person  expressed  himself  ready  to  ^^  warrant" 
a  moose  to  any  party  employing  him.  His  terms  were  three  dollars 
per  day;  and  he  so  wrought  upon  the  Nimrod-like  instincts  of 
"  Rike  "  and  Moses  O.  that  they  hired  him  for  four  days,  promising  to 
rejoin  the  party  at  Fort  Kent  or  Little  Falls,  fifty  miles  below  on  the 
main  St.  John. 

Harold,  Stein,  "Karzy,"  and  "No.  6,"  with  the  guides,  continued 
on  our  route  down  to  Alleguash  Falls,  where  we  -portaged  and 
camped  for  the  night. 

There  is  here  a  picturesque  cataract  of  fifty  feet  over  slaty  cliffs. 


MOOSE-HUNTING. 


123 


*'  Karzy  "  found  several  subjects  for  his  pencil,  next  morning,  while 
the  guides  were  getting  breakfast. 

From  the  Falls,  a  run  of  twelve  miles  with  the  rapid  stream 
brought  us  to  the  junction  with  the  Woolastook,  or  main  St.  John. 
Here  we  entered  Madawaska  and  French-Canadian  civilization.  On 
both  banks  the  land  is  cleared,  and  the  quaint  little  farms,  churches, 
and  hamlets,  stud  the  river  all  the  way  down  to  Fort  Kent  and  far 
below,  we  were  told.  It  is  a  beautiful  river  valley,  that  of  the  upper 
St.  John.  We  found  the  people  good-humored  and  quite  ready  to 
sell  us  unlimited  fresh  milk,  eggs,  and  bread  loaves;  and  were  con- 
stantly meeting  parties  in  odd  black  boats,  called  "  peerogs,"  made 
each  from  a  single  large  pine  log. 


JUNCTION   OF  ALLEGUASH  AND  WOOLASTOOK. 


It  was  dark  that  night  when  we  reached  Fort  Kent,  a  little  hamlet 
on  the  Maine  side  of  the  river,  where  we  found  a  fair  hotel. 

Here  we  remained  two  days,  waiting  for  our  "  moose-hunters  "  to 

catch  up. 

They  arrived  very  early  the  third  morning,  in  rather  sorry  plight, 
not  a  little  excited,  and  very  anxious  to  be  off  at  once  —  over  into 


124 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Canada!  To  see  Moses  O.  oxcited  boded  something  alarming 
indeed!  To  our  eager  question s  le  said,  "Old  Nick  was  to  pay  — 
not  fa."  behind !  " 

Rike  and  he  had  gone  back  with  Gourill  to  Round  Lake,  on  the 
Alleguash,  m  a  bateau.  Here  they  had  lain  in  wait  for  game  for 
nearly  a  day  and  then  gone  to  a  small  pond,  not  far  back  from  the 
river  and  connected  with  it  by  a  dead-water  gap. 

But  we  have  persuaded  Moses  O.  to  write  out  their  adventure 
himself,  and  here  it  is:  — 


THEIR  MOOSE  HUNT. 

Just  as  we  came  out  into  the  pond  we  heard  a  sudden  noise  in  the  bushes 
on  the  right  bank.  Looking  quickly  round,  I  saw  the  leaves  waving,  and 
some  large  black  animal  moving. 

"  A  bear  ! "  exclaimed  Gourill.     "  Quick,  with  your  rifle  !  " 

Rike  had  a  Remington  rifle,  and  I  a  reliable  "Purdy,"  the  left  barrel  of 
which  I  always  kept  loaded  with  double  B  shot.  Before  we  could  fire,  how- 
ever, Gourill  exclaimed,  — 

"  It  isn't  a  bear ;  it's  a  moose  —  two  moose  ! " 

The  bateau  was  gliding  forward.  We  all  saw  them  now  —  great, 
black,  ungainly  creatures,  glowering  half  fearfully,  yet  curiously,  from 
among  the  willows,  their  huge  ears  rising  and  falling.  They  were  not  more 
than  seventy  yards  away. 

"  A  cow-moose  and  a  calf,"  muttered  Gourill.     "  Take  the  cow  I  '* 

We  both  fired  on  the  instant. 

"  You  hit ! "  Gourill  exclaimed. 

But  both  animals  had  disappeared,  and  we  heard  a  great  thrashing  about 
in  the  swamp.  Landing  as  speedily  as  possible,  we  went  in  through  the 
bushes,  and  had  not  proceeded  far  when  we  came  upon  the  moose  lying 
mired  in  a  soft  bog,  nearly  dead.  A  second  bullet  from  Rike's  rifle  put  an 
end  to  the  creature.     Gourill  pronounced  it  a  good-sized  cow-moose. 

We  could  hear  the  calf  rushing  about  in  the  woods,  at  no  very  great  dis- 
tance, uttering,  at  rapid  intervals,  most  singular,  trumpet-like  squeaks.  It 
seemed  loath  to  leave  the  place. 

"  Load  up  !  "  Gourill  said,  "  and  keep  quiet.     I'll  call  him  in." 


MOOSE-HUNTING. 


"5 


He  began  to  make  an  odd,  bellowing  sound  through  his  hands.  Hearing 
this,  the  calf  redoubled  his  trumpetings,  and  dashed  up  nearer,  first  on  one 
side,  then  on  the  other.  It  would  stand  for  a  moment,  then  dash  away  again. 

At  length,  catching  a  good  sight  of  it  at  rather  less  than  a  hundred 
yards,  we  both  fired  and  brought  it  down.  It  was  a  male,  but  its  antlers 
had  as  yet  hardly  started.  It  was  no  more  than  half  grown,  and  would  have 
weighed  possibly  four  hundred  pounds. 

We  wished  to  save  the  head  of  the  cow,  to  mount  as  a  troph}'.  So  Gourill 
cut  it  oflT,  and  also  skinned  the  animal,  and  took  some  of  the  choicest  parts 
of  the  meat  to  cook.    The  calf  we  determined  to  take  down  the  river  with  us. 

It  was  not  till  afternoon  that  we  secured  our  game  on  board  the  bateau, 
and  set  off  down  river  again. 

"  But  isn't  there  some  sort  of  game-law  in  this  State  protecting  deer  and 
moose  ?  "  Rike  presently  asked.     '*  How  is  that,  Gourill  ?  " 

It  had  occurred  to  me  already  that  I  had  heard  of  some  such  legislation 
in  Maine. 

"Well,  I  suppose  there  is  a  law,"  replied  Gourill,  making  light  of  the 
matter.  "I've  heard  there  was.  But,  bless  ye,  ye  needn't  worry  about  that ; 
it's  a  dead  letter.  Nobody  thinks  of  enforcing  it  up  here.  I'll  warrant  ye, 
nobody  11  molest  ye." 

That  was  precisely  what  he  told  us. 

We  got  down  to  Alleguash  Falls  that  evening,  and  camped  at  the  foot 
of  the  cataract.  A  mile  or  two  above  we  had  passed  the  place  where 
Gourill  told  us  his  family  lived,  —  a  new  place,  with  a  new  frame-house  and 
sheds. 

After  we  had  camped  and  had  supper,  and  got  comfortable,  Gourill  said 
he  guessed  he  would  run  up  and  see  how  his  folks  were  getting  along,  and 
as  he  shouldn't  see  them  again  for  some  weeks,  he  would  be  much  obliged  if 
we  would  let  him  have  a  little  money.  We  at  once  paid  him  for  his  services 
up  to  that  night.     We  did  not  expect  him  back  till  morning. 

Very  early  next  morning,  before  it  was  quite  day,  we  were  awakened  by 
voices  outside  the  tent,  and,  on  lookmg  out,  saw  three  burly  fellows,  and 
threes  or  four  hounds,  examining  the  trophies  of  our  moose-hunt. 

(^n  our  asking  their  business,  one  of  them  announced  himself  as  the 
legally  appointed  moose-warden  of  that  section,  and  took  us  formally  into 
custody  for  violating  the  law  of  the  State.  The  man,  who  gave  his  name  as 
Merron,  produced  an  apparently  legal  certificate  of  his  official  position. 

Of  course  we  made  no  attempt  to  deny  the  shooting  of  the  moose.  I  asked 


126 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


I  i 


v  \ 


I 


what  the  penalty  was.  They  said  one  hundred  dollars  for  each  and  every 
animal  shot ;  also  that  we  must  accompany  them  to  Fort  Kent  to  liave  the 
fine  legally  imposed  and  collected. 

Of  course  we  felt  troubled,  but,  being  educated  to  respect  law  in  all  places, 
determined,  since  we  had  broken  a  law,  to  put  the  best  possible  face  on  the 
matter. 

We  could  not  but  feel,  however,  that  in  this  case  the  law  was  rather  un- 
fortunate in  the  selection  of  its  executors ;  for  three  more  unprepossessing 
fellows  we  had  rarely  met.  Indeed,  they  looked  quite  capable  of  collecting 
fines  without  the  apology  of  law.  And  the  way  they  had  come  upon  us,  with 
their  dogs  and  guns,  was  far  from  exciting  agreeable  feelings  on  our  part. 

However,  we  told  them  to  lead  on  ;  we  would  go  to  Fort  Kent,  or  any 
other  place  where  justice  was  administered,  but  that  we  had  a  guide  whom 
we  wished  to  wait  for. 

At  this  they  laughed  and  winked.  Till  that  moment  we  had  not  sus- 
pected Gourill  of  treachery.  One  of  the  men  now  said  that  we  shouldn't 
probably  set  eyes  on  Gourill  again ;  and  at  last  Merron  told  us  bluntly  that  it 
was  Gourill  who  had  given  the  information  with  regard  to  shooting  the 
moose,  and  that  he  would  get  one-half  the  fine  for  so  doing. 

After  a  breakfast  of  moose-meat,  we  set  oflf  in  the  bateau  down  the  river, 
and  reached  the  junction  with  the  St.  John  about  ten  o'clock.  We  let  our 
captors  do  the  rowing,  and  took  things  eas}'.  But  the  more  we  thought  of 
the  matter  of  our  guide's  defection,  and  the  more  we  saw  of  the  "moose- 
warden  "  and  his  posse  and  dogs,  the  more  the  arrest  aroused  our  suspicions. 
These  men  were  merely  taking  advantage  of  the  law  to  fleece  us  and  put  the 
spoils  into  their  own  pockets. 

They  bragged  of  it  to  our  very  faces,  and  were  positively  insulting  in 
their  talk.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  be  crowed  over  all  day  long  with  the  near 
prospect  of  losing  two  hundred  dollars ;  and  by  night  we  were  in  no  very 
amiable  mood. 

About  five  o'clock  the  warden  and  his  confreres  pulled  into  the  Maine 
side  of  the  St.  John,  and  camped  for  the  night  at  a  deserted  log-house, 
about  nine  miles  above  Fort  Kent. 

The  old  house  had  but  one  room,  and  that  very  small,  scarcely  large 
enough  for  the  five  of  us.  The  four  dogs  had  followed  us  along  the  bank  all 
day.  To  keep  the  hungry  brutes  from  devouring  the  moose  carcass,  the  men 
took  it  out  of  the  bateau  and  put  it  into  a  "  potato-hole,"  a  few  steps  from  the 
house-door. 


MOOSE-HUNTING. 


137 


Nearly  all  these  Madawaska  settlers  dig  a  potato-hole  instead  of  a  cellar. 
The  potato-hole,  in  fact,  is  a  cellar  out  of  doors,  instead  of  under  the  house. 
This  one  was  six  or  seven  feet  deep,  and  would  possibly  have  held  three 
hundred  bushels  of  potatoes. 

It  was  simply  a  large  pit  covered  over  with  logs  and  turf  to  the  depth  of 
two  or  three  feet,  to  keep  out  frost.  It  had  a  thick  trap-door,  about  four  feet 
square,  in  the  top,  made  of  hewn  plank.  The  hole  was  now  empty  ;  so  they 
dropped  the  carcass  and  the  cow-moose's  head  down  into  it,  and  shut  the 
trap-door. 

There  wasn't  much  said  that  night.  Rike  and  I  made  a  bed  of  old  straw 
and  our  blankets,  and  retired  early  —  if  going  to  bed  in  such  quarters  can  be 
called  retiring. 

Along  in  the  night  something  roused  me  —  some  one  whispering  and 
talking  in  low  tones.  Our  captors  were  consulting  together.  I  stirred ; 
instantly  they  ceased  whispering.  This  struck  me  as  suspicious ;  but  I 
turned  over  and  began  breathing  heavily  again,  though  quite  awake. 

Five  minutes  or  more  passed.  Then  they  began  whispering  and  talking 
again,  and  I  heard  the  words,  "Gourill  will  be  thar  and  hev  things  all  tixed. 
These  fellers  can't  talk  French.     We  kin  put  it  through." 

It  was  the  voice  of  the  warden. 

"  But  ef  ole  Merron  finds  this  out,  —  an'  he  wull,  —  thar'll  be  the  mischief 
ter  pay,"  muttered  one  of  the  others. 

"  Huh  1  We'll  be  far  enough  away  'fore  that  time,  over  the  line  with  the 
dosh,"  replied  the  self-styled  warden ;  and  I  heard  a  sound  of  suppressed 
chuckling. 

I  lay  and  thought.  This  man,  then,  was  not  the  real  Merron,  the  genu- 
ine warden,  nor  yet  his  authorized  deputy.  There  must  be  foul  play  then. 
We  were  victims  of  a  trick.  These  rascals  had  their  confederates,  and  were 
taking  us  before  a  "  justice  "  of  their  own  making.  It  was  very  plain  to  me 
now. 

It  will  be  easy  enough  to  denounce  them,  I  reasoned.  Yet,  on  second 
thought,  our  situation  had  an  ugly  outlook.  We  were  away  in  a  remote, 
lawless  region,  the  ignorant,  French  country  of  Madawaska,  where  not  half, 
nor  a  quarter  of  the  people  knew  a  word  of  English.  The  trick  these  fel- 
lows were  playing  was  not  so  difficult,  after  all.  I  was  not  sure  that  we  had 
not  better  have  been  under  legal  arrest  than  in  the  hands  of  this  gang  of 
rogues.     Safer,  certainly. 

There  was  no  more  sleep  for  me  that  night. 


I 


128 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


^  ^^ 


-.»^" 


\   ->..{.  V 


:r/:''.. 


We  were  called  up  early,  and  all  had  breakfast  out  of  our  supplies.  In 
fact,  they  had  lived  at  our  expense  ever  since  taking  possession  of  us.  We 
went  down  to  the  river-bank  to  wash,  and  here  I  was  able  to  tell  Rike  what 
I  had  heard. 

He  was  even  more  alarmed  than  myself,  and  declared  that  we  must  now 
look  to  our  own  safety,  and  get  out  of  their  clutches  the  best  way  we  could. 

And  a  most   unexpected  op- 
^J^SMft^K^^^KK/t^^K^^^^    portunity  offered 
F^BrfjfjB^^^^^^^B^^^^^^B         After  breakfast,   two   of 

the  men  opened  the  potato- 
hole  and  got  down  into  it  to 
lift  out  the  moose ;  for  they 
must  needs  take  that  along. 
As  I  have  remarked,  the 
young  moose  must  have 
weighed  four  or  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  the  two 
found  it  a  rather  heavy  lift 
to  put  it  up  through  the 
trap-door.  They  called  to 
Merron  to  bear  a  hand. 

He  got  down  with  them. 
We  stood  looking  on  a  few 
steps  off,  as  they  were  tug- 
ging and  grunting.  Rike 
suddenly  shot  a  glance  at  me, 
and  pointed  to  the  trap-door. 
I  understood  him.  We  both 
sprang  to  the  door^  banged 
it  down  over  the  hole   in  a 

•WE  UOTH   SPRANG  lO  THE  Dw  JR."  SCCOnd,  ttud  jumpcd  On  it! 

There  was  a  moment's  astonished  silence  below,  then  such  an  outburst  of 
whoops,  shouts,  oaths,  and  threats,  as  never  arose,  I  verily  believe,  from 
any  other  hole  except  the  "bottomless  pit." 

They  hammered  at  the  door,  swore  vengeance,  said  they  would  "  cut  our 
hearts  out,"  "drink  our  blood,"  and  many  other  similar  threats. 

We  stood  fast,  and  chaffed  them  to  our  heart's  content.  Presently,  one 
of  them  began  firing  his  pistol  up  through  the  door.     At  that  we  began  to 


MOOSE-HUNTING, 


129 


pile  stones  and  logs  upon  it,  and  did  not  stop  till  we  put  tiicre  several  hun- 
dred-weight. 

Then  they  changed  their  tune,  and  began  to  beg  —  promised  to  let  us  go 
unharmed,  nnd  we  could  take  our  moose  with  um.  Wu,  of  course,  did  not 
believe  in  pr€>mises  made  under  such  circumstances. 

"  Yesterday  was  your  day,"  we  told  them  ;  "  to-day  is  ours.  Eat  moose- 
meat  till  you  are  let  out." 

Running  down  to  the  bateau,  we  wrapped  the  moose-hide  in  our  blankets 
and  shoved  ofT,  and  were  not  long  pulling  down  to  Fort  Kent. 


ON  THE  STAGE. 


IS  one 
ran  to 


After  hearing  the  main  points  of 
this  story  in  bricl',  wc  were  not  long 
deciding  that  whatever  might  be  the  rights  or 
the  wrongs  in  this  queer  business,  wc  had  better 
go  on  at  once. 
Accordingly,  having  settled  with  our  three  j'uides,  who  would 
paddle  back  up  the  Alleguash  homeward,  we  hired  the  hotel-keeper 
to  take  us  down  to  Little  Falls,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Madawaska,  in  his 
double  wagon.  From  this  place  we  took  passage  by  the  little  steamer 
and  stage  across  to  Riviere  du  Loup  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  But  ere 
starting  from  Little  Falls,  our  two  hunters  mailed  a  letter  back  to  the 
postmaster  at  Fort  Kent,  and  another  to  the  .same  functionary  at  St. 
Francis.     In  those  letters  they  stated  that  three  pretended  moose- 


13° 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


wardens  were  shut  up  in  a  potato-hole  at  a  deserted  log-house  about 
midway  between  the  two  places ;  and  they  added  that  it  might  not  be 
healthy  for  them  to  remain  there  too  long,  as  the  place  was  none  too 
well  ventilated.  ^ 

We  have  since  learned  that  the  soi-disant  wardens  stayed  in  the 
potato-hole  all  that  day  and  until  the  following  morning,  when  a  man, 
passing  in  his  "peerog"  close  to  the  shore,  heard  their  outcry  and 
went  to  their  deliverance.  Also  that  they  pursued  us  to  Little  Falls, 
threatening  dire  death  and  destruction  I 

But  they  had  stopped  too  long  in  the  potato-hole  to  see  us  again. 


.       7 


CHAPTER  XII. 


RIVIERE   DU    LOUP   AND   THE   SAGUENAY. 


ROM  the  northern  end  of  Lake  Temiscouata,  the  stage- 
road  descends  through  a  wild,  and  often  rugged,  forest 
region,  to  Riviere  du  Loup  on  the  Si.  Lawrence.  Here 
we  arrived  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  had  barely  time  to 
get  dinner  at  a  quaint  old  French  inn,  close  upon  the 
long  triangular  pier,  when  the  steamer  Sag-teetJ ay,  hound 
for  the  far-famed  Saguenay  River,  whistled  in.  On 
board  her  we  were  comfortably  unpacking  our  satchels, 
in  three  state-rooms,  half  an  hour  later. 

We  thus  saved  a  day,  but  had  little  time  to  see  Riviere  du  Loup, 
which  is  a  picturesque  Province  village  of  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  contains  several  summer  hotels;  but  the  Canadian 
watering-place  par  excellence  is  Cacouna,  situated  six  miles  to  the 
south-west.  It  is  the  Canadian  Saratoga,  or  rather  Long  Branch, 
being  on  the  brackish,  if  not  exactly  salt,  waters  of  the  Lower  St. 
Lawrence,  here  a  broad  and  majestic  affluent  of  old  ocean,  twenty 
miles  in  width,  pouring  its  mighty  flood  onward  betwixt  dark  moun- 
tains. 

From  Riviere  du  Loup,  the  steamer  stands  boldly  out  to  stem  and 
to  cross  the  great  river  to  Tadousac,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saguenay. 
It  occupies  two  hours,  this  "  ferry  "  over  to  Tadousac,  under  full  head 
of  steam:  what  better  idea  of  the  size  and  grandeur  of  this  queen  of 
rivers  can  be  given?  Correspondingly,  too,  we  had  here  struck 
anot^  -t-  of  the  grand  annual  streams  of  summer  travel.     On  board 


132 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


] 


were  several  hundred  passengers:  tourists  from  almost  every  civilized 
country,  but  chiefly  everywhere-going  "Yankees;  "  wiry,  tanned  jour- 
nalists; bland,  worldly-wise  merchants  and  railway  magnates  —  men 
of  millions;  jolly-looking  clergymen,  whom  you  never  would  mistrust 
were  such  till  introduced  as  "Rev.";  college  graduates  of  the  period, 
with  satchels  and  field-glasses  slung  from  their  shoulders,  brown,  hard- 
meated,  full  of  vital  power,  who  talk  of  nothing  save  base-ball,  regat- 


ALL  ABOARD  FOR  THE  SAGUENAY. 


tas,  and  the  races;  and  k-st,  but  first  seen,  the  American  lady  tourist, 
serene,  beautiful,  dressed  just  right  for  the  trip,  never  looking  heated, 
or  excited,  the  only  lady  in  the  world  who  really  knows  how  to  travel 
and  enjoy  it.  Night  before  last  she  was  at  Niagara,  last  evening  in 
Montreal ;  next  week  she  may  be  en  route  for  Switzerland,  while  still 
somewhat  expecting  to  take  in  the  Yosemite  ere  her  summer  vaca- 
tion closes.     Twenty  thousand  miles  will  be  covered,  ard  she  will 


THE  SAGUENAY. 


133 


return  with  that  clear-brown  tint  of  health,  more  pleasing  to  the  eye 
than  any  of  that  veiled,  pink-and-white,  spick-span  prettiness,  which, 
a  few  years  ago,  constituted  the  standard  of  beauty.  In  fact,  we 
Americans  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  our  lady  tourists  abroad.  They 
do  tour  beautifully  —  and  never  make  but  one  mistake  in  good  taste 
or  sterling  common-sense:  the  mistake  of  getting  captured  by  large- 


L'ANCE  A  L'EAU,  OR   PORT  OF  TADOUSAC. 

titled  noodles  in  Europe,  a  mistake  nearly  alwa3's  ending  in  bitter 
regret.     Fair  America  for  Americans,  would  be  a  happier  motto. 

Truly  no  people  cut  so  good  a  figure  abroad  as  Americans;  genial, 
self-possessed,  good-humored.  If  a  pig-headed,  disobliging  official  is 
encountered,  where  an  Englishman  fumes  and  threatens,  our  American 
gets  the  better  of  him  with  a  joke,  or,  at  worst,  a  quizzical  sarcasm. 

It  was  dusk  when  the  steamer  reached  Tadousac.     We  had  time 


134 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


to  half  walk,  half  run,  a  mile  or  so  about  the  village  (in  old  times  a 
Hudson  Bay  Fur  Fort  and  Trading  Post),  fcr  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
when  the  whistle  summoned  us  back. 

Here  it  may  be  said  that  in  consequence  of  making  the  trip  up  the 
Saguenay  during  the  night,  we  saw  none  of  the  grand,  world-famous 
scenery  on  the  river  when  going  up.  But  coming  back,  three  weeks 
later,  we  saw  it  in  all  its  grandeur.  Until  then,  I  reserve  an  account 
of  it. 

On  rousing  out  in  the  morning,  we  found  the  steamer  in  Grande 


'  "  '"1^111]?"'''^"  '^"  "       "  '^ '^"  "    "'"^^" 

glSBBSI^^SB^^Bi^^P 

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■s=issst^3^^H^^^^^^\  1    ■  i^jBu^jLiilaMil^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^MB^^^^MB 

SsAi^^Hv^ss^^^^^^saBa^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^BSQi^v^ss^ 

■  j^jv  .fc-jia'  ^^SBUK^^^^BUhKM^^^BB^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^BK^B^BS^ 

•.,-'"*^^'     ■    '              .           •        ?^^       . 

•  A^a.1      i.T,T'.      .r*.     .iTL 
•  - -^i;.- ••-•••^r.jc*  ■ ,  run.  -■   »«j».d,     ■«■:» 

-"ft     - 

.r:^^  ji^^ 

TADOUSAC. 


Baie,  more  commonly  Ha  Ha  Bay,  a  long,  deep  arm  of  the  Saguenay. 
When  the  early  French  navigators,  Jacques  Cartier  and  others,  first 
ascended  the  Saguenay,  they  mistook  this  arm  for  the  main  river,  and 
humorously  named  it  Ha  Ha  Bay,  from  the  great  laugh  they  indulged 
in  on  so  suddenly  coming  to  the  end  of  it.  There  is  a  quaint  little 
hamlet  here  where  we  first  saw  the  queer  spectacle  of  ovens  built  up 
of  clay  on  little  platforms  out  of  doors.     Here,  too,  the  French  people 


THE  SAGUENAY. 


135 


m 

m 


offered  us  blueberries  in  odd,  long  coffin-shaped  boxes,  holding  each 
half  a  bushel  or  more  —  at  twenty-five  cents  per  box.  Blueberries 
grow  in  endless  profusion  over  the  sterile,  bare,  or  at  best  bushy 
mountains  which  make  up  this  whole  vast  region.  Geologists  tell  us 
that  this  was  the  first  area  of  the  North  American  continent  which 
showed  itself  above  the  sea:  so  Stein  read  to  us  that  morning;  and 


KNTRANCE  TO  THli   SAGUENAY. 


Moses  O.,  after  another  long  look  around,  made  the  remark  that  he 
thought  it  had  showed  up  too  soon. 

The  Saguenay  is  the  outlet  of  the  great  Lac  St.  Jean  (toward 
which  we  were  now  heading  our  course),  and  numerous  other  large 
lakes,  draining  a  vast  area  of  country  in  that  unknown  hyperborean 
region  lying  far  up  under  the  "  Great  Dipper."    The  rugged  grandeur 


136 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


I  it 


of  its  unsettled  mountain  shores,  the  profound  depth  of  its  waters,  and 
the  absence  of  human,  even  animal  life,  for  leagues  on  leagues,  make 
the  Saguenay  unique  among  rivers.  It  is  on  these  natural  features 
that  its  fame  depends. 


UP  THE  SAGUENAY. 


/ 


Bayard  Taylor  well  says  of  it:  — 

"The  Saguenay  is  not,  properly,  a  river.  It  is  a  tremendous  chasm,  like 
that  of  the  Jordan  Valley  and  the  Dead  Sea,  cleft  for  sixty  miles  through  the 
heart  of  a  mountain  wilderness No  magical  illusions  of  atmos- 
phere enwrap  the  scenery  of  this  northern  river.  Everything  is  hard* 
naked,  stern,  silent.  Dark,  gray  cliffs  of  gneiss  rise  from  the  pitch-black 
water ;  firs  of  gloomy  green  are  rooted  in  their  crevices  and  fringe  their  sum- 


THE  SAGUENAY. 


137 


mits ;  loftier  ranges  of  a  dull  indigo  hue  show  themselves  in  the  background, 
and  over  all  bends  a  pale,  cold,  northern  sky.  The  keen  air  which  brings 
out  every  object  with  a  crystalline  distinctness,  even  contracts  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  scenery,  diminishes  the  height  of  the  cliffs,  and  apparently 
belittles  the  majesty  of  the  river,  so  that  the  first  feeling  is  one  of  disappoint- 
ment. Still  it  exercises  a  fascination  which  you  cannot  resist.  You  look, 
and  look,  fettered  by  the  fresh,  novel,  savage  stamp  which  nature  exhibits, 
and  at  last,  as  in  St.  Peter's,  or  at  Niagara,  learn  from  the  character  of  the 
separate  features  to  appreciate  the  grandeur  of  the  whole.  Shores  that 
seemed  roughly  piled  together  out  of  the  fragments  of  chaos,  overhung  us, — 
great  masses  of  rock,  gleaming  duskily  through  their  scanty  drapery  of  ever- 


SCENE  IN   HA  HA  BAY. 


greens,  here  lifting  long,  irregular  walls  against  the  sky,  there  split  into 
huge,  fantastic  forms  by  deep  lateral  gorges,  up  which  we  saw  the  dark-blue 
crests  of  loflier  mountains  in  the  rear.  The  water  beneath  us  was  black  as 
night,  with  a  pitchy  glaze  on  its  surface ;  and  the  only  life  in  all  the  savage 
solitude  was,  now  and  then,  the  back  of  a  white  porpoise,  in  some  of  the 
deeper  coves.     The  river  is  a  reproduction  of  the  fiords  of  the  Norwegian 

coast The  dark  mountains,  the  tremendous  precipices,  the  fir  forests, 

even  the  settlements  at  Ha  Ha  Bay  and  L'Ancekl'Eau  (except  that  the 
houses  are  white  instead  of  red),  are  as  completely   Norwegian  as  they 


138 


THE  KNOLK-ABOt/T  CLUB. 


can  be.     The  Scandinavian  skippers  who  come  to  Canada,  all  notice  this 
resemblance,  and  many  of  them,  I  learn,  settle  here." 

Another  writer  thus  characterizes  it:  — 

"^Simlight  and  iJear  sky  are  out  of  place  over  its  black  waters.  Anything 
which  recalls  the  life  and  smile  of  nature  is  not  in  unison  with  the  huge 
naked  cliffs,  raw,  cold,  and  silent  as  the  tombs.  An  Italian  spring  could 
effect  no  change  in  the  deadly,  rugged  aspect ;  nor  does  winter  add  one  iota 
to  its  mournful  desolation.  It  is  with  a  sense  of  relief  that  the  tourist 
emerges  from  its  sullen  gloom,  and  looks  back  upon  it  as  a  kind  of  vault, — 
Nature's  sarcophagus,  where  life  or  sound  seems  never  to  have  entered. 
Compared  to  it  the  Dead  Sea  is  blooming,  and  the  wildest  ravines  look  cosy 
and  smiling.  It  is  wild  without  the  least  variety,  and  grand  apparently  in 
spite  of  itself;  while  so  utter  is  the  solitude,  so  dreary  and  monotonous  the 
frown  of  its  great  black  walls  of  rocks,  that  the  tourist  is  sure  to  get  impatient 
with  its  sullen  dead  reverse,  till  he  feels  almost  an  antipathy  to  its  very  name. 
The  Saguenay  seems  to  want  painting,  blowing  up,  or  draining,  —  anything, 
in  short,  to  alter  its  monose,  quiet,  eternal  awe.  Talk  of  Lethe  or  the  Styx, 
—  they  must  have  been  purling  brooks  compared  with  this  savage  river;  and 
a  picnic  on  the  banks  of  either  would  be  preferable  to  one  on  the  banks  of 
the  Saguenay." 

This  is  really  painting  it  a  little  more  sombrely  than  we  saw  it. 
But  then  all  persons  cannot  be  expected  to  see  it  alike. 

The  name  Saguenay,  we  were  told,  comes  from  the  Indian  word 
Saggishekass  (a  rather  forced  derivation,  certainly),  which  means 
'precipices  for  banks.  The  river  has  depths  where  no  sounding-line 
has  been  able  to  touch  bottom.  Near  Cape  Eternity  it  is  said  to 
be  eighteen  hundred  feet  deep.  ' 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


LAC  ST.  JEAN.       MOSES   O.  MAKES    A  BAD   SHOT. 

HORTLY  after  noon  we  reached  Chicoutimi  {the 
place  of  deep  tuaiers),  as  the  Indians  named  it.  This 
is  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Saguenay, 
the  head  of  all  navigation,  in  fact;  for  the  village  lies 
at  the  foot  of  the  tremendous  rapids  of  Terres  Rompues. 
\  The  Chicoutimi  Falls  are  in  plain  sight  to  the  north, 
a  band  of  white  wrathful  water  showing  through  the 
green  forests. 

Chicoutimi  is  the  metropolis  of  the  Saguenay  country.  There  are 
eight  or  ten  hundred  inhabitants  —  English,  French,  and  Indians,  —  a 
new  Catholic  college,  and  one  very  old  church,  up  into  the  belfry 
of  which  we  climbed,  at  the  imminent  jet  pardy  of  our  necks,  to 
see  a  very  ancient  bell  of  which  we  had -heard,  but  failed  to  find  it 
there. 

There  are  several  passably  good  hotels. 

Senator  Price  is  the  great  man  here,  politically  and  by  virtue  of 
ownership.  The  house  of  Price  Brothers  &  Co.  owns  about  every- 
thing here  and  in  the  outlying  country.  Perhaps  there  is  not  another 
man  on  the  American  continent  who  comes  so  near  being  a  Grand 
Seignior  of  the  olden  time  as  this  same  Canadian  senator.  ,  We  had 
noticed  a  well-looking  man  on  the  steamer,  at  whom  all  the  officials 
and  indigines  cast  looks  of  awe. 

"Who's  that  gentleman?"  Moses  O.  asked  the  second  officer. 
*^That!  ivhy,  that  is  Senator  Price,"  replied  the  man  in  a  low  tone. 


140 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


But  from  all  accounts  the  Prices  regnant  are  wise  and  judicious 
potentates.  The  Senator  is  locally  known  as  The  King  of  the 
Saguenay. 

While  on  the  steamer  we  had  made  inquiries  of  the  captain  (a 
rather  gruff  official,  but  whom  our  comrade  Dearborn's  easy  assur- 
ance drew  into  conversation),  concerning  guides  and  game  up  about 
the  St.  John  Lake.  He  advised  us  to  apply  to  a  man  named  Nugent 
at  Chicoutimi,  who  had  taken  out  parties  of  tourists.  We  did  so 
that  afternoon.  It  proved  excellent  advice.  The  moment  we  saw 
this  Nugent  we  knew  by  the  "eye  of  him,"  as  Theo.  Winthrop 
would  have  said,  that  he  was  our  man. 

It  took  but  an  hour  to  arrange  all 
the  details  for  a  three  weeks'  tour 
camping  out;  he  to  furnish  canoes, 
outfit,  another  guide  —  everything,  in 
fact,  even  including  provisions.  And 
he  simplified  matters  vastly  by  having 
a  sufficiently  good  financial  head  on 
his  shoulders  to  put  all  this  into 
one  bill,  and  say  at  the  outset  what 
he  could  do  it  for.  That  is  a  rare 
kind  of  man,  particularly  in  the  Pro- 
vinces. 

"My  dear  sir,"  Wayne  said  to  him, 
"that's  the  way  we  like  to  hear  a 
man  talk.  That's  just  the  way  we  do 
in  New  York.  Why,  if  your  folks  here  were  only  all  like  you,  we 
would  a-nnex  you  tomorrow." 

His  round  charge  for  everything  was  a  hundred  and  sixty  dollars. 
I  think  he  was  ready  to  take  off  twenty  or  thirty  dollars.  But  Wayne, 
in  his  delight  at  finding  a  man  who  mentally  resembled  a  real  New 
Yorker,  cried  out,  "Cheap  enough!     When  can  we  start.''" 


NUGENT. 


LAC  ST.  JEAN. 


141 


"  Start  to-morrow  morning,  if  you  like,"  replied  the  admirable 
Nugent. 

So  the  matter  was  settled  on  the  spot.  We  had  nothing  to  do  that 
afternoon  but  see  Chicoutimi.  Later,  we  crossed  over  to  the  quaint 
French  hamlet  of  St.  Anne  de  Saguenay,  on  the  .  '■he.'  side  of  the 
river;  and  still  later,  we  fished  for  ivinintsk^  a  kind  of  salmon  trout 
peculiar  to  these  waters;  so,  at  least,  the  inhabitants  claim.     Up  in  the 


LAC  ST.  JEAN. 

great  pool  at  the  foot  of  Chicoutimi  Falls,  Stein  caught  five,  either  one 
of  which  would  have  weighed  four  pounds.  Nugent  furnished  us  with 
rods,  bait,  etc.  The  others  of  our  party  caught  two  and  three,  each. 
Here,  for  the  first  time,  we  began  to  see  something  like  sport. 

Next  morning  we  had  our  'wininish  broiled  for  our  breakfast  at 
the  inn.  They  were  delicious,  better  than  trout  even.  The  rapids 
of  Torres  Rompues  are  grand  fishing-ground,  and  also  very  grand  as 
scenery.     Altogether  they  extend  over  nearly  fifteen  miles. 


142 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Next  day  we  set  off  by  wagon  road,  through  a  rough  section  of 
country,  for  Lac  St.  Jean. 

Nugent  had  provided  us  with  spring-boards  to  ride  on.  In  ad- 
vance was  a  rude  vehicle  loaded  with  canoes,  bear  traps,  supplies,  in 
short,  the  whole  paraphernalia  for  a  "  big  hunt." 

Behind  it  walked  the  Indian  guide,  a  Mic-mac  by  tribe,  whom 
Nugent  had  hired  for  an  assistant,  —  a  quiet,  swarthy  man  of  twenty- 
seven  or  eight,  Otelne  by  name;  Otelne  being  his  Indian  name  and 


FARAPMEKNALIA 


Jean  the  name  bestowed  by  the  priest  who  had  christened  him.  But 
for  his  Indian  eyes,  Otelne  might  easily  have  been  taken  for  a  French- 
Canadian,  being  not  a  whit  darker  of  complexion  than  many  of  the 
latter. 

We  were  all  day — a  rather  wearying  one,  though  the  scenes  passed 
through  were  ever  fresh  and  interesting  —  reaching  St.  Jerome,  a  little 
hamlet  of  lumbermen  on  the  lake. 

We  had  left  I'ne  Saguenay  on  our  right.  In  all  there  is  a  fall 
of  three   hundred   feet   along   the    Terres  Rompues  rapids.     Karzy 


LAC  ::t.  jean. 


143 


wanted  to  spend  a  day  here  sketching;  but  the  others  would    not 
hear  to  it. 

At  St.  Jerome  we  had  rather  close  quarters  lor  the  night  at  the  log- 
house  of  a  lumberman,  a  friend  of  Nugent;  and  next  morning  put  out, 
with  all  our  kit,  on  the  lake  in  a  large  sailboat,  bound  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Perilonca.  For  it  was  up  this  unexplored  northern  river  that 
our  guide  proposed  taking  us  —  to  the  shores  of  another  lake,  which 
Otelne,  with  a  fine,  guttural  enunciation,  called  Tshistagama. 


CHTCOUTIMT. 


The  Perilonca  is  one  of  six  or  eight  large  rivers  which  pour  their 
waters  into  Lac  St.  Jean  —  one  of  t'.iese,  the  Misstassini,  flowing 
down  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  great  Lake  Misstassini, 
seventy-five  miles  long  by  thirty  in  breadti? ;  Lac  St.  Jean  seemed  to 
us  fully  as  large,  broader  perhaps.  But  for  a  lake  of  such  size  its 
waters  are  very  shallow.  We  could  often  discern  the  bottom  when 
miles  from  the  shore.     The  scenery  would,  by  the  most,  be  called 


144 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


dreary.  Off  to  the  north  and  west  extends  a  vast  level  tract,  clad  with 
black  spruce  forests,  bounded  faintly,  seventy  miles  away,  by  a  line  of 
low,  volcanic-looking  peaks.  The  soil  along  the  shores  is  said  to  be 
very  fertile;  but  then,  the  winters! 

We  crossed  the  lake  to  the  north-east  on  a  fair  wind,  or  rather  a 
fresh  westerly  wind,  and  about  one  o'clock  entered  a  broad,  deep 
arm,  belwcen  sombre-  low,  alluvial  shores  densely  wooded  with  firs. 


I" 


SHOOTING  A   RAPID. 


This  arm  is  the 
mouth     of    the 
Perilonca;    and 
it  is  so  broad  and  deep  that 
the  wind  favoring,  we  kept  on  for  two  or 
three  hours  longer,  up  to  the  head  of  the 
t  "dead  water,"  where  "quick  water"  begins. 

Here  the  little  sloop  was  left  at  anchor  to  await  our  return  from 
Tshistagama.  Upon  this  side  of  the  great  lake,  and  along  the  Peri- 
lonca,  there  is  not  a  clearing  nor  a  sign  of  human  habitation.  All  is 
wilderness,  the  gnarled,  stunted  wilderness  of  the  far  north.  Even  in 
the  mild  summer  it  has  a  bleak  aspect,  and  still  shadows  forth  the  ter- 
rors of  winter  here.  *  ^    . 

At  this  point  our  canoes  vcame  into  requisition,  and  the  ascent  of 
the  river  proper — the  quick  water — commenced.  Many  "  rips,"  some 
of  them  considerable  falls,  Wijre  encountered.     All  of  U3  had  then  to 


LAC  ST.  JEAN. 


H5 


bear  a  hand  to  lift  the  canoes  over  the  rocks,  and  our  long,  flexible- 
legged  f um  boots  came  into  use. 

Night  fell  before   many  miles  of  this  sort  of  thing  were  made* 
and  never  was  a  party  more  willing  to  camp  and  have  a  *Miot  tea." 

Sailing  so  far  in  the  fresh  wind,  on  the  lake,  followed  by  our 
exertions  getting  the  canoes  over  the  "  rips,"  had  rendered  us  all 
stupidly  tired;  even  Nugent's  strong  tea  failed  to  rouse  us  much. 
The  tent  was  pitched,  and  we 
turned  in,  under  a  lowering  sky, 
on  a  bed  of  boughs;  and  I  must 
needs  own  that  our  first  night  on 
the  Perilonca  was  far  from  a 
cheery  one. 

Otelne  alone  went  fishing,  and 
caught — as  he  avouched  next 
morning — a  fine  large  wininish. 
Here  we  first  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  that  ugly,  thievish  beast, 
the  Canadian  wildcat,  or  loup 
cervier.  One  of  these  creatures 
came  about  our  tent  in  the  night, 
and  probably  got  Otelne's  fish.  Moses  O.  heard  a  noise  among  pots 
and  tin  dishes  outside,  and  jumping  up,  sans  culottes,  seized  his 
gun  and  peeped  out.  Catching  a  glimpse  of  some  animal  scudding 
away,  he  let  fly  after  it.  The  report  of  course  brought  us  all  to  our 
feet;  but  the  marauder  had  made  good  its  escape. 


MOSES   O.  GETS  AFTER  A  LOVP  CERVIER, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


CAMPED   ON  THE  TSHISTAGAMA.       STEIN   LOST. 


Il 


HE  Perilonca  is  a  large  river,  as  large  as  the  Merri- 
mac,  or  the  Mohawk,  we  judged.  For  forty  or  fifty 
miles  back  from  Lac  St,  Jean  its  course  is  sluggish, 
along  a  deep,  broad  channel.  Then  follow  "  rips,"  or 
small  falls,  over  rough,  syenitic  ledges,  through  a 
barren  region  of  country  up  to  Lac  Tshistagama, 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  farther.  We  used  up  all 
next  day,  and  only  reached  the  lake  the  following  even- 
ing at  six  o'clock.  "  Carry  "  followed  "  carry,"  round  falls  and  dan- 
gerous rapids.  There  was  no  such  thing  as  shirking  hard  lifts  that 
day.  At  one  point  we  had  to  tug  the  canoes,  etc.,  up  a  tremendously 
steep  bank;  and  here  Moses  O.  particularly  distinguished  himself  by 
walking,  or  crawling,  up  with  a  canoe  on  his  shoulders,  a  la  tortoise. 
Truly  a  set  of  brawny  shoulders  are  a  handy  thing  to  have  about  one. 
On  both  banks  and  everywhere  extended  away  the  spruce  and  fir 
wilderness.  There  was  little  else  for  timber,  and  the  dark-tinted 
funereal  landscape  was  varied  only  by  the  whitish  sides  of  crags  and 
bare-peaked  mountains. 

Into  the  Perilonca  the  lake  opens  on  the  right  by  a  broad,  sluggish 
*^  neck  "  of  water.  We  paddled  in,  and  then  coasted  along  the  north- 
ern shore  for  four  or  five  miles,  to  a  camp  where  Nugent  and  Otelne 
had  hunted  the  year  before.  It  was  eight  o'clock  and  already  quite 
dark  when  we  arrived — fully  as  tired  as  on  the  preceding  evening. 
A  rougher  or  wilder  locality  it  would  have  been  hard  to  find,  even  in 


CAMPED   ON  THE   TSHISTAGAMA. 


147 


that  wild  region.  All  along  the  shore  and  round  about  were  great 
fire-scorched  and  calcined  rocks,  with  dead  trees  stripped  of  their 
bark;  while  a  few  hundred  yards  in  the  rear  loomed  a  long  beetling 
crag,  showing  a  hundred  feet  of  sheer  precipice  over  the  dark-green 
tops  of  the  fir  woods. 


the  lake  stretched  away  a  tract 

iota    as    savage    and     broken. 

indeed,  to   have    come   to  the 

earth  —  the  odds  and  ends. 

was    some    deep    and    heavy 

done  there  that  night.    It  was  all 

Nugent   called    our    at- 

or  that  odd  yell 

forest,      saying, 


Across 
looking  every 
We  seemed, 
ends    of    the 

But  there 
slumbering 
in  vain  that 
tention  to  this 
o  f f  in  the 
*'That'ere'sa 
bear;  that's  a 
^screamer;' 
that's  a  po- 
humphP  We 
were  done  up 
for  that   day. 

no  hunt  left  in  us;  and 
so  stiff  and  lame  did  we 
all  feel  on  waking  next  morn- 
ing that  no  one  except  Stein 
stirred  out  that  day.  »The  sight 
of  that  tall,  whitish-looking  crag 
had   so  strongly   stimulated    the 

mineralogist  in  him,  that  shortly  after  mid-day  he  got  up,  ate  some- 
what of  the  breakfast  which  Nugent  had  kept  hot  for  us  since 
eight  o'clock,  and  then  went  off  alone  on  a  quiet  excursion,  after 
"  specimens." 


There  was 


MOSES  O.  A   LA    TORTOISE. 


148 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Nugent  and  Otelne  had  gone  fishing. 

They  came  back  toward  sunset,  having  caught  a  fine  string  of 
iuladi,  as  they  called  them,  a  species  of  gray  trout;  and  it  was  the 
savory  odor  of  these  broiling,  half  an  hour  later,  which  at  last  roused 
us  out.  Now  that  we  had  had  our  "  big  sleep  "  out,  we  all  felt  pretty 
well  and  ravenously  hungry.  It  was  not  till  we  sat  down  to  eat 
those  broiled  tuladi^  that  Stein  was  missed.  Where  he  had  gone 
nobody  had  the  slightest  idea.  We  shouted  and  fired  two  guns  — 
then  fell  to  on  the  fish,  and  were  thus  employed  for  three-quarters  of 
an  hour. 

Still  Stein  did  not  come.     It  was  getting  dusk;  and  now  for  the 


CAMP  ON  THE  TSHISTAGAMA. 


first  time  we  began  to  feel  a  little  anxious  about  him.  More  guns  were 
fired,  and  we  made  the  forest  resound  to  our  shouts.  These  latter 
drew  no  reply  from  the  missing  man,  but  had  the  effect  to  call  forth 
a  most  dismal  howling  from  far  across  the  lake,  a  circumstance  which 
by  no  means  tended  to  reassure  us.  There  were  some  odd-voiced 
denizens  thereabouts.  Nugent  himself  looked  a  trifle  grave,  though 
he  professed  to  us  to  have  no  fears  for  Stein's  safety;  but  Otelne  and 
he  set  off  a  few  moments  later,  without  saying  anything  to  us. 


I: 


STEIN  LOST. 


149 


OUR  DINING-ROOM. 


Ten  or  fifteen  minutes  later  we  heard  them  hallooing  from  the  top 
of  the  great  crag  back  of  the  camp.  The  opposite  shores  resounded 
to  their  shouts.     But  we  could  hear  no  response. 

What  to  do  we  scarcely  knew,  and  were  in  a  fever  of  suspense. 

Rike  and  Moses  O.  started  off  after 
the  guides;  and  the  others  went 
along  the  lake  shore  for  a  mile  or 
more  to  the  eastward,  shouting  and 
firing  guns  at  intervals. 

Presently  we  saw  a  great  bonfire 
on  the  crag  in  the  rear  of  the  camp. 
The  guides  had  set  a  large,  thick  fir 
standing  there  on  fire;  and  the  whole 
tree  blazed  like  one  enormous  torch, 
If  Stein  were  lost  anywhere  within 
ten  miles  it  was  incredible  but  that 
he  would  see  it,  we  reasoned.  Distant  howls  and  cries  attested  to 
the  fact  that  many  a  savage  eye  was  gazing  wonderingly  at  it. 

To  search  further  in  the  darknes3  now  ap- 
peared to  little  purpose;  yet  this  but  added 
tenfold  to  our  I  ars.  Indeed,  it  would  be 
quite  impossible  to  describe  what  we  endured 
from  appreheiision  that  night.  No  one  thought 
of  sleeping;  and  the  minutes  and  hours  dragged 
by  in  a  manner  too  painful  to  speak  of.  Day 
broke  at  last  over  this,  now  to  us  sombre- 
looking  country. 

Harold  and  Rike  were  for  starting  at  once 
upon  the  search ;  but  Nugent  wisely  insisted  that 
we  must  all  take  a  substantial  breakfast  first. 

It  seemed  hours  ere  potatoes  and  meat  could  be  cooked;  and  we 
were  eating  in  haste,  a  prey  to  most  dismal  foreboding,  and  revolving 


THE  KITCHEN. 


I50 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


plans  for  a  thorough  scouring  of  the  whole  country — when,  who  should 
come  along  the  lake  shore  but  Stein  himself,  looking  a  little  jaded,  but 
smiling. 

Such  a  shout  as  rose ! 

In  our  delight  at  seeing  his  face  again  v/e  quite  forgot  our  sleepless 
night  for  a  moment:  only  for  a  moment,  however.  All,  with  good 
reason  too,  deemed  that  an  explanation  was  needed-  — a  full  and 
copious  one. 

"Well,  where  the  Big  Dickens  have  you  been?"  was  the  ques- 
tion he  heard  in  full  chorus. 

We  record  the  "  lost  one's  "  confession  in  his  own  language. 


\ 


[ 


WHERE  STEIN  HAD  BEEN. 

It  came  into  my  mind  (he  said)  that  I  would  "  prospect"  that  crag  a  little ; 
and  as  I  knew  none  of  you  would  care  about  going,  I  did  not  like  to  wake 
anybody.  When  I  started,  I  thought  I  should  not  be  gone  over  an  hour.  I 
climbed  up  to  the  top  of  the  ledges,  back  here,  and  while  looking  off,  saw 
something  sparkle  as  bright  as  a  star  on  another  big  ledge  a  mile  or  two  back 
in  the  woods.  It  glistened  so  like  a  gem  that  I  thought  I  would  cross  over 
and  see  whatever  it  could  be. 

It  took  an  hour  or  two  to  make  my  way  across  the  ravines ;  and  when  I 
got  over,  I  found  that  what  had  sparkled  was  only  a  liny  bit  of  vitreous 
quartz  v/hich  lay  on  the  rocks,  in  the  sun.  There  were  many  fragments  of 
quartz  lying  scattered  about,  .ind  one  was  a  bit  of  true  amethyst.  This  gave 
me  a  trail  which  I  traced  back  to  some  other  ledges,  a  mile  or  two  farther ; 
and  here  I  discovered  the  vein  whence  the  fragments  of  crystals  had  come. 
It  was  up  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  the  face  of  the  crag ;  a  nearly  perpendicular 
crack  in  the  quartzose  rocks  large  enough  to  thrust  in  one's  arm,  and  set  on 
both  sides,  as  far  as  I  could  reach,  were  the  glossy,  six-sided  "points"  of  the 
crystals. 

The  sunlight  streaming  in,  showed  many  of  them  to  be  amethysts  of  purest 
water.  Set  in  the  quarcz  rocks,  were  also  many  crystals  of  tourmaline ;  and 
at  the  foot  of  the  crag  lay  a  massive  eight-sided  prism  of  feldspar,  as  large 
as  a  quart-measure. 

Here  was  a  bonanza,  indeed. 


WHERE  STEIN  HAD  BEEN, 


151 


Having  no  drill  and  hammer  to  work  with,  I  got  a  stout  bit  of  spruce 
limb,  and  with  this,  and  a  stone  for  a  hammer,  I  fell  to  despoiling  this  store- 
house of  Nature's  treasures,  by  breaking  out  the  crystals  and  filling  my 
pockets. 

(Here  Stein  admiringly 
displayed  several  fine  crys- 
tals, —  clear,  white  quartz 
and  amethysts). 

"Yes,  we  see,"  quoth 
Moses  O.,  not  much  paci- 
fied as  yet.  "  Go  on  with 
your  little  story.  Were  you 
tinkering  there  all  night, 
pray  ?  " 

It  was  nearly  sunset  (con- 
tinued our  mineialogical 
comrade,  looking  somewhat 
abashed  at  our  still  unsym- 
pathetic faces)  before  I 
thought  how  late  I  was  re- 
maining. Somewhat  has- 
tily, then,  I  gathered  my 
trophies  and  set  off.  Rather 
than  climb  back  in  and  out 
of  the  ravines,  I  injudicious- 
ly resolved  to  go  round  to 
the  south  of  the  ledges, 
where  there  was  a  long, 
narrow  pond,  and  so  follow 
round  lo  the  lake  shore.  It 
seemed  likely  to  be  a  less 
tiresome  route. 

But  I  made  a  great  mis-  "^"^  ^^^^^^g  fir. 

take.  No  sooner  had  I  reached  the  bed  of  the  valley  near  the  pond,  than  I 
found  myself  in  an  almost  impenetrable  swamp  of  cedar  and  alder,  and  sank 
into  mud  and  water  at  every  step.  * 

It  was  almost  dusk,  too,  in  th^  valley.  Keeping  the  pond  in  sight  through 
the  bushes,  I  pushed  ahead,  resolved  to  stick  to  this  route,  now  that  I  had 
taken  it. 


XS2 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


I  pushed  on  for  half  or  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  and  had  come  to  an 
upturned  root,  covered  with  vi  les  and  briers,  where,  years  before,  a  large 
spruce  had  been  blown  down. 

Leaping  upon  this,  I  was  poising  myself  to  spring  off  on  the  other  side, 
when  the  top  suddenly  crumbled  beneath  my  feet,  and  I  was  precipitated 
into  the  hole  at  the  foot  of  the  root,  through  brush  and  dead  vines. 

Instantly  there  was  a  snarl,  a  spit,  and  a  growl,  and  several  creatures 
leaped  out  from  almost  under  my  feet  as  I  slid  down. 

A  good  deal  startled,  though  not  frightened  exactly,  I  scrambled  out, 
having  had  an  indistinct  glimpse  of  two  or  three  furry  forms.  Jumping  upon 
a  log,  I  looked  around.  At  first,  I  could  neither  see  nor  hear  anything  of 
the  animals.  I  shouted  to  frighten  them,  then  whistled  several  times.  At 
this  I  saw  a  head  rise  up  from  behind  an  old  log, —  a  round,  cat-like  head, 
with  erect  ears, —  and  it  kept  stretching  up  three  feet,  at  least.  Then  it  as 
cautiously  drew  down  again. 

Scarcely  was  the  first  one  out  of  sight,  when  another,  a  'ittle  to  the  right, 
rose  up  and  took  a  look  at  me.  And  this  second  one  v/as  hardly  down  when 
a  third  head,  from  out  a  dry  spruce  top,  was  stretched  up,  peeked  at  me  a 
moment,  and  drew  down  again. 

I  knew  they  were  some  species  of  woods  cat.  They  looked  both  large 
and  ferocious.  I  thought  I  would  frighten  them  if  possible,  and  shouted  and 
screeched  ;  and  while  I  was  screeching,  the  brutes  kept  down.  But  when  I 
stopped,  the  heads  began  to  stretch  up,  one  after  another,  again  1 

I  didn't  know  what  was  the  best  course  to  follow ;  and  while  I  stood 
hesitating,  the  one  behind  the  log  came  a  few  steps  towards  me,  and  sat 
down  like  a  dog,  with  his  big  silvery  eyes  regarding  me  attentively. 

Then  both  the  others  did  the  same  thing,  coming  a  few  steps  nearer,  and 
sitting  down,  quite  at  their  ease,  just  as  if  they  wanted  to  be  social,  and  were 
making  an  evening  call. 

Determined  to  make  a  demonstration,  I  threw  my  stone-hammer  at  the 
nearest,  and  seemingly  the  boldest  of  the  three.  It  just  missed  him.  He 
crouched  for  a  minute,  then  rose  to  his  sitting  posture  again. 

I  threw  two  or  three  of  my  specimens  at  him.  The  brute  seemed  to  dodge 
them,  crouching  suddenly,  then  as  quickly  rising  again.  Meanwhile,  one 
of  the  others  approached  and  sat  down  a  few  steps  nearer. 

Getting  desperate,  I  seized  a  big  quartz  crystal  and  hurled  it,  with  all  my 
strength,  at  the  creature.  It  hit  him  in  the  breast.  He  gave  a  shrill  yelp ; 
and  at  this,  both  the  others 'uttered  a  similar  note,  and  skulked  up  towards 
him. 


WHERE  STEIN  HAD  BEEN. 


153 


Taking  advantage  of  this  momentary  confusion  into  which  I  had  thrown 
my  steahhy  assailants,  I  cut  and  ran,  having  now  only  the  bit  of  spruce 
stick  in  my  hand. 

It  was  a  terrible  place  for  running.  I  tripped  several  times,  and  fell 
into  brush,  mud,  and  water,  but  jumped  uf  pi  nged  ahead  again  for  a 
hundred  rods  or  more,  when  coming  out  into  a  little  open  place,  I  pulled 
up,  completely  out  of  breath.  I  could  not  have  run  another  minute  to  save 
my  life. 

Scarcely  had  I  stopped  when  I  heard  a  snapping  of  the  sticks  back  in 
the  bushes,  and  out  bounded  those  cats,  and  came  lazily  leaping  up  within  a 
few  yards  of  me,  where  they  again  sat  composedly  down,  their  silvery  eyes 
bent  on  me  in  grim  significance. 

What  to  do  now  I  didn't  know.  If  there  had  been  but  one,  I  would  have 
tried  the  temper  of  his  head  with  my  stick.  But  I  knew  the  three  would  be 
more  than  a  match  for  me. 

As  soon  as  it  got  dark,  I  supposed  they  would  fall  upon  me  tooth  and 
nail.  I  had  kept  near  the  pond,  and  as  I  glanced  hopelessly  around,  I  saw, 
through  the  fast  gathering  shadows,  a  great  stooping  fir  which  leaned  out 
over  the  water.  I  backed  towards  this,  and  reaching  the  foot  of  it,  turned 
and  ran  up  the  inclined  trunk  to  where  I  could  catch  the  lowermost  dry  limbs, 
and  so  swung  myself  up  twenty  feet  or  more. 

Glancing  hurriedly  down,  I  saw  the  cats  walking  leisurely  up  near  the 
foot  of  the  fir.  There  they  sat  down  as  demurely  as  before.  I  had  kept 
hold  of  my  club,  and  I  felt  tolerably  certain  of  being  able  to  beat  them  back 
if  they  attempted  to  climb  up  the  trunk  of  the  fir. 

But  the  oddly-behaved  brutes  did  not  attempt  to  climb  up  to  me.  At 
intervals,  one  of  them  would  come  and  stretch  up  on  the  trunk  of  the  fir, 
sharpen  his  nails,  then  fall  back  and  sit  down  again. 

It  was  soon  dark,  and,  to  cut  my  story  short,  I  have  been  roosting 
uf  in  that  old  fir  all  night.  It  was  anything  but  warm  and  comfortable 
before  morning ;  but  I  did  not  dare  to  get  down ;  for  it  was  not  till 
after  daylight  that  my  gray-furred  watchers  betook  themselves  back  to 
their  swamp. 

I  knew  of  course  you  would  be  worried  about  me ;  /  came  as  soon  as  I 
could. 

Once  or  twice  I  thought  I  heard  guns  and  saw  something  that  looked  like 
a  distant  fire,  shining  upon  the  sky  over  the  top  of  the  ridge,  back  of  the 
pond.     Did  you  fire  guns  for  me? 


154 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


"Well,  I  should  rather  say  we  did  I "  Rike  observed. 

"I  suppose  we  shall  have  to  forgive  you,  Freeland,"  Mos?s  O. 
remarked,  doubtfully,  "  and  congratulate  you  on  your  escape.  But  the 
next  time  you  go  after  *  specimens,'  do  pray  let  us  know,  or  if  we  are 
asleep,  leave  a  line  or  somethmg;  and  I  should  think  it  might  perhaps 
be  as  well  to  take  your  gun  along." 

Nugent  said  that  Stein's  "  woods  cats "  were  no  doubt  loup 
cerviers. 


o. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


A  CARIBOU   AT  BAY.      HUNTING    BY   TORCHLIGHT. 


I  HERE  are  no  moose  on  the  Perilonca;  but  hundreds 
of  caribou  range  over  this  northern  country.  The  cari- 
bou i^Rangifer  Caribou)  is  a  hir^e,  gray  deer,  quite 
distinct  from  the  common  red  deer  of  the  United 
States,  and  allied,  naturalists  hold,  to  the  reindeer  of 
Lapland.  They  are  sometimi^s  killed  as  large  as  a 
cow,  weighing  five  and  six  hundred  pounds,  commonly 
from  three  to  four  hundred.  This  deer  is  found  in 
Maine,  New  Brunswick,  and  Nova  Scotia;  but  the  great  wilderness 
regions  to  the  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  are  their  stronghold.  To 
the  westward  their  habitat  is  said  to  extend  as  far  as  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  northward  to  Hudson  Bay. 

To  hunt  caribou  was  one  of  the  "  great  expectations  "  which  had 
led  us  to  penetrate  this  remote  country.  Nugent  and  Otelne  were 
both  professional  caribou  hunters,  and  on  the  day  following  Stein's 
adventure,  we  set  off  on  a  caribou  hunt. 

Caribou  at  this  season  are  rarely  found  in  the  woods  about  the 
Lakes.  Nugent  took  us  to  wha^  he  called  a  "  barren,"  ten  or  twelve 
miles  to  the  northwest  of  Lake  Tshistagama^  where,  after  a  long 
tramp  through  the  spruce  woods,  and  over  several  mountains,  we  came 
out  upon  a  kind  of  elevated  table-land,  thousands  of  acres  in  extent, 
bare  of  trees,  and  covered  with  furze,  moss,  and  blueberry  bushes. 
Dry,  gray,  larch  stubs  rendered  the  aspect  of  this  dreary  tract  still 
more  desolate. 

Almost  immediately  upon  emerging  on  the  "  barren,"  we  descried 


158 


THE  UNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


a  herd  of  eight  or  ten  animals,  a  mile  or  more  away,  which  Otelne 
had  no  sooner  set  his  eyes  on  than  he  exclaimed,  "  Chit-i-nu-zeet !  " 
—  the  Indian  name  for  this  species  of  deer.  But  they  had  our  "  wind," 
and  were  already  moving  off.  For  though  the  vision  of  caribou  deer 
is  rather  defective,  their  sense  of  smell  is  so  delicately  acute  that,  the 
breeze  favoring,  they  will  detect  the  approach  of  a  hunter  at  a  great 
distance. 

The  particulars  of  our  chase  after  this  herd  —  skirting  the  forests 
about  the  "barren" — crawling  on  our  hands  and  knees  through  the 
moss  and  low  bushes  —  trying  by  every  device  known  to  Nugent  and 
the  Mic-mac  to  get  within  shooting  distance,  but  always  failing   of 


A  CARIBOU   BARREN. 


it — would  prove  more  tiresome  than  interesting,  I  fear.     It  may  best 
be  abbreviated  to  the  simple  phrase,  no  deer  that  day. 

The  only  event  of  the  day  was  the  starting  up  of  a  bear  by  Karzy, 
as  he  was  creeping  through  some  blueberry  bushes  about  waist  high. 
Bruin  was  either  asleep  in  the  bushes,  or  else  lazily  blueberrymg;  and 
Karzy  crept  —  like  xlade  in  the  ballad  —  into  his  near  presence  before 
either  of  them  was  aware.     The  bear  rose  on  his  hind  legs — and 


HUNTING  BY  TORCHLIGHT. 


159 


grinned.  At  the  same  instant,  Karzy  jumped  up  and  stared.  So  rapt 
in  astonishment  was  our  young  comrade  at  seeing  a  bear  when  he  was 
merely  looking  for  deer,  that  he  quite  forgot  to  use  his  gun  —  forgot 
he  even  had  a  gun.  After  mutual  inspection,  the  bear  "  bowed " 
(Karzy  says)  and  took  his  leave.  It  occurred  to  our  comrade  — just 
as  the  animal  was  turning  a  corner  of  some  ledges,  a  hundred  yards 
off,  or  so  —  that  it  was  his  business  to  shoot  bears  when  he  saw  them. 
He  then  let  both  barrels  go,  the  echoes  of  which  boomer^  fa*  and 
wide. 

We  had  brought  along  a  supply  of  crackers,  pressed  meat  n^  cans, 
and  a  coffee-pot,  also  each  a  blanket.  Towards  night  Nugent  took 
us  off  the  "  barren  "  to  a  little  pond  in  the  woods  to  camp,  an^^  selected 
a  most  cosy  spot  in  lee  of  a  high,  overhanging  rock.  There  were  a 
few  mosquitoes;  but  we  made  very  comfortable  quarters,  and  slept 
soundly  on  a  heap  of  fir  boughs.  It  was  just  cool  enough  that  night 
to  rest  comfortably  under  the  blankets. 

Otelne  rpse  very  early  and  v/ent  off  caribou-hunting,  leaving  Nu- 
gent to  get  breakfast.  After  a  while  Haiold  also  got  up  and  started 
off  on  his  own  hook,  along  the  pond  shore. 

Half  an  hour  passed,  and  the  rest  of  us  had  just  arisen,  yawned, 
and  were  washing  our  faces,  in  a  row,  on  the  sandy  pond  shore,  when 
we  heard  a  gun  not  very  far  off,  in  the  direction  Harold  had  gone. 
At  that  we  stopped  short,  in  the  midst  of  our  ablutions,  to  listen. 
Bang  went  a  second  gun,  and  scarcely  a  minute  later  we  heard  a 
"halloo!" 

'^He's  foul  of  something!"  shouted  Moses  O.,  and  we  all  seized 
our  guns  and  ran,  Nugent  dropping  the  coffee-pot,  regardless  of  con- 
tents. 

Away  we  sped  thf/vugfi  brush  and  bushes.  Another  halloo  di- 
rected us.  Moses  O.  and  Nugent  ran  phead  of  the  others.  We  heard 
them  fire,  bang,  bang,  and,  catching  up  with  them  a  minute  later, 
saw  Harold  standing  close  against  a  large  spruce  trunk,  while  a  fqw 


i6o 


THE  KNOCK^ABOUT  CLUB. 


1: 


rods  off  lay  a   large  buck  caribou  which  Nugent  had  just  brought 
down. 

"  Did  he  attack  you?"  we  all  asked  Harold  in  some  astonishment. 

"  Well,  not  exactly  —  not  till  I  attacked  him,"  said  Dearborn. 

He  then  told  us  that  going  quietly  along  he  had  come  plump  upon 

the  caribou,  among  some  alders  in  the  water's  edge,  drinking,  and 

shot  it.     The  animal  ran  a  few  rods,  then  turned,  gritting  its  teeth  and 

shaking  its  antlers.      On  his  shooting  it  again,  the  creature  dashed  at 

him.  With  that  our 
comrade  jumped 
behind  a  tree  and 
hallooed.  The 
buck  came  up  with- 
in twelve  or  fifteen 
feet,  and  stood  grit- 
ting its  teeth.  It 
was  bleeding  free- 
ly, nor  did  it  move 
from  that  position 
till  Nugent  fired  at 
it  with  large  shot, 
killing  it. 

This  was  good 
luck  indeed. 

Two  hours  later  we  had  some  of  the  venison  —  rudely  cooked,  it 
is  true,  but  very  palatable  —  for  our  breakfast.  ■■*         ' 

Otelne  and  Nugent  skinned  and  butchered  the  deer,  and  in  the 
afternoon  we  returned  to  our  camp  on  the  lake  with  the  head  and 
antlers  for  mounting  as  a  trophy,  and  a  pack  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  or  more,  of  the  meat  tied  up  in  the  hide,  and  slung  midway 
of  a  pole  for  convenience  in  carrying. 

Pretty  tired  with  the  tramp  back  to  the  lake,  we  hung  the  skinful 


BARREN-GROUND    CARIBOU. 


HUNTING  BY  TORCHLIGHT. 


i6i 


It 


it 


iful 


of  meat  up  to  a  dry  limb  of  one  of  the  spruces  close  to  our  camp;  but 
the  head  Harold  stuck  upon  the  front  pole  of  the  shed.  By  ten 
o'clock  I  presume  we  were  all  soundly  asleep;  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  I  had  but  just  fairly  fallen  into  a  drowse,  when  a  great  hubbub 
woke  me,  and  I  heard  a  gun  snap!  Nugent  was  up.  So  were  Rike 
and  Otelne. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  Moses  O.  exclaimed. 

"Something's   got   our   meat,"  said  Rike, —  "got   it   down    and 
dragged  it  off." 

Nugent  and  Otelne  had  given 
chase,  a..^i  after  a  few  minutes  they 
came  back,  laughing,  bringing  the 
meat.  They  had  run  so  close  on 
the  thief  that  he  had  dropped  it. 
They  now  got  out  one  of  the  big 
traps  and  a  piece  of  the  meat,  and 
then,  going  back,  set  it  where  the 
creature  had  dropped  its  prize. 

Otelne  said  it  was  a  kek-juarar- 
kis.  "  That  is  a  wolverine,"  Nu- 
gent explained, "  a  carcajeu." 

Quiet  again  reigned  for  some 
hours. 

Just  at  daybrc      however,  we  were  wakened  again  by  a  horrible 
yelp  —  a  whole  string  of  them  —  not  far  off. 

"We've  ketched  him."'  Nugent  exclaimed;  and  with  that  we  all 
got  up  and  started  —  all  except  Karzy  and  Moses  O. 

"  Let  kekwararkis  skip,"'  said  Moses  O.,  dreamily.     "  I  cannot  be 
broken  of  my  rest  for  every  bej.st  that  comes  round  here.*^ 

The  animal  had  drapred  off"  the  trap. 

It  was  scarcely  light  as  yet;  but  Otelne  soon  found  the  trail.  They 
had  chained  a  clog,  or  short  log  of  green  wood,  to  the  trap.     The 


WOODLAND  CARIBOU  HOOFS. 


l62 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


animal  had  jerked  the  clog  after  it,  leaping,  sometimes,  eight  or  ten 
feet  at  a  bound — over  logs  and  water-holes.  Otelne  went  at  a  dog- 
trot, making  it  no  easy  matter  to  keep  pace  with  him. 

First  through  a  swamp,  then  over  a  high  ridge  and  into  an  alder 
bottom,  the  trail  led  us,  two  or  three  miles,  till  at  length  we  came  to 
the  foot  of  a  deep  ravine  betwixt  crags.  Here  a  well-marked  path 
leading  up  the  ravine,  winding  among  the  rocks  and  through  the 
scrubby  thickets,  was  discovered.  Not  only  had  the  creature  we  were 
following  escaped  up  the  gorge,  but  the  place  was  plainly  a  haunt  of 
wild  animals.  I  think  I  never  was  at  a  much  more  dismal  spot.  The 
dim  light  caused  it  to  appear  really  savage,  arid  the  loud  roar  of  a 
foaming  brook,  the  black  rocks,  and  blacker  firs,  shut  in  by  rugged 
cliffs,  made  sombre  scenery  indeed! 

But  Otelne  and  Nugent  were  ahead;  we  followed.  The  path, 
beaten  by  unknown  feet,  wound  about  the  huge  lichen-grown  boul- 
ders that  lay  in  the  bed  of  the  ravine,  round,  and  even  beneath  the 
heaps  of  drift,  and  benealh  overhanging  trees,  and  logs  which  lay 
tilted  across  the  rocks.  Once  or  twice  we  had  to  creep  and  crawl  to 
get  through. 

I  should  think  that  we  fo' lowed  this  ravine  for  half  a  mile,  —  cross- 
ing the  brook  half-a-dozen  times  at  least;  sometimes  wading  knee- 
deep,  then  leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  or  balancing  ourselves  on  old  logs. 
The  stream  here  fell  over  a  ledge  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  high. 

The  path,  turning  off  beneatii  the  overhanging  cliff  on  the  left, 
led  into  a  sort  of  arm,  or  branch  of  the  ravine,  still  narrower  and 
darker.  Indeed,  it  was  so  dusky  here  that  we  could  barely  distinguish 
Otelne  twenty-five  feet  ahead  of  us.  He  stopped  short,  and  we  came 
plump  upon  him. 

"i  b'lieve  I  kin  see  his  eyes  by  that  old  root,"  Nugent  whispered; 
he  fumbled  about,  and  found  a  dry  knot  which  he  threw. 

Something  moved,  with  a  quick  bound,  and  —  above  the  roar  of 
the  brook  —  I  heard  a  snarl,  and  the  trap  rattling. 


i 


HUNTING  BY  TORCHLIGHT. 


163 


"  Fah !  Smell  'im ! "  exclaimed  Nugent.     "  Don't  you  see  his  eyes  ?  " 

We  were  still  unable  to  make  out  the  eyes,  but  could  see  the 
motion  and  dark  outlines  of  some  animal  beside  the  old  root.  Nugent 
cocked  his  gun,  and  stepped  back. 

**  Fire  at  him,  some  of  you,"  said  he.  "  If  you  don't  fetch  him,  I'll 
stand  ready  to." 

Rike  fired. 

But  I  think  that  even  Nugent  himself  was  unprepared  for  what 
followed.  For  at  the  report,  or  flash  of  the  powder,  such  a  chorus  of 
snarls,  growls,  and  loud  ''yawlings"  burst  out  as  never  before,  I  fancy, 
smote  on  the  ear  of  a  hunter!  The  place  seemed  full  of  savage  beasts. 
We  all  beat  a  rapid  retreat  back  to  the  brook. 

"Thar's  more'n  twenty  of  'em!"  Nugent  exclaimed. 

We  could  still  hear  the  pack  snarling  and  yawling. 

Otelne  began  pulling  and  fumbling  about  a  pile  of  drift-stuff  which 
lay  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and  presently  we  saw  him  strike  a  match. 
There  was  plenty  of  the  drift-stuff,  and  he  soon  had  a  fire  going  which 
lighted  up  the  wild  gorge  with  baleful  glare. 

"We'll  rout  'em  now!  "  Nugent  cried,  in  great  glee;  and  seizing  a 
brand  out  of  the  fire,  and  swinging  it  over  his  head  to  keep  it  blazing, 
he  advanced  into  the  side-ravine  again. 

"Come  on  behind  me,"  he  called  to  us,  "and  be  ready;  but  be 
careful  and  don't  shoot  me." 

The  snarling  had  stopped  after  our  fire  was  lighted,  but  we  had 
not  gone  many  steps  before  it  began  again.  The  brutes  were  there 
yet.  I  fancied  that  the  fire  had  frightened  them  away.  But  we  found 
afterwards,  that  they  could  not  have  got  away  without  running  past  us 
and  the  fire ;  for  we  were  at  the  entrance  of  a  chasm  that  was  shut  in 
all  around  by  steep  rocks  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high. 

At  sight  of  the  brand,  the  growling  and  snarling  were  redoubled. 
I  never  heard  such  a  noise ! 

Nugent  stopped,  and  then  flung  the  brand  ahead.     As  it  flew,  end 


164 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


over  end,  in  the  air,  we  heard  a  great  scratching  of  nails  on  the  logs 
and  stones!  The  brand  blazed  up  for  a  moment  where  it  struck;  and 
then  we  all  caught  sight  of  an  ugly-looking  brute  crouching  on  a 
boulder. 

"  Shute,  shute ! "  cried  Otelne.  Stein  and  Harold  fired,  and  then 
there  was  another  hurried  retreat. 

Nugent  fixed  the  fire,  took  another  brand,  and  we  started  into  the 
den  again. 

It  was  not  diflScult  to  tell  when  we  were  getting  near  the  brutes. 
The  snarling  gave  us  warning  enough. 

Just  as  Nugent  threw  his  second  brand,  one  of  the  animals  made 

a  rush,  and  brushed  out  past  us  with 
an  ugly  snarl.  But,  coming  into  the 
glare  of  our  fire,  it  turned  back  on 
us.  Otelne  fired,  and  we  had  the 
satisfaction  to  see  the  creature  leap 
up  and  fall  upon  its  back. 

"Good    shot!"   exclaimed    Nu- 
gent.    "You've   settled  that   one;" 
and  he  ran  forward,  seized  a  club, 
and  beat  the  animal  on  the  head. 
It  was  a  thick-set,  black  beast,  with  a  round,  squat  head,  short 
prick  ears,  and  a  rather  bushy  tail.     We  looked  it  over,  added  fuel  to 
the  fire,  and  went  into  the  den  again. 

The  snarling  at  sight  of  the  firelight  was  the  luckiest  thing  in  the 
world  for  us.  It  showed  just  where  the  animals  were  crouching. 
Nugent  would  throw  a  brand  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds.  Up 
the  brutes  would  jump  to  another  rock,  or  another  log,  and  stand 
glaring  at  the  brand — just  in  a  position  to  oflfer  a  fair  mark.  We 
shot  three  in  that  way.  The  sight  of  the  blazing  brands  seemed  to 
daze  them. 

Two  or  three  managed  to  claw  their  way  up  the  rocks  at  the 


WOLVERINE. 


HUNTING  BY  TORCHLIGHT. 


'65 


upper  end  of  the  chasm,  and  escape.     There  were,  at  least,  seven  in 
the  den  at  the  outset. 

We  di  1  not  try  to  get  out  the  ones  we  had  shot  till  fairly  morning. 
Otelne  then  dragged  them  out.  There  were  five  of  them.  The  one 
in  the  trap  was  rather  the  largest.  We  dragged  that  one  over  to 
camp.  The  fur  beneath  the  long  coarse  hair  was  thick  and  fine.  The 
animal  was  doubtless  the  Wolverine,  or  Glutton. 


HOISTING  HER  GENTLY  OVER. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SETTING  BEAR  TRAPS.     A  STRONG  FISH.     ODD  GAiViE.  i 

OWARD  evening  the  sky  darkened.  It  was  not  from 
clouds,  but  smoke.  The  sun  was  entirely  obscured 
three  hours  before  sunset ;  and  one  of  the  closest,  dark- 
est nights  which  I  ever  remember  passing,  succeeded  ; 
it  was  "  dark  as  Egypt." 

Nugent  said  the  smoke  came  from  great  forest-fires 
in  the  north.  "Much  moss  burn,"  Otelne  remarked. 
Both  he  and  Nugent  told  us  that  far  in  the  north,  in 
Labrador,  were  vast  plains  covered  to  the  depth  of  three  feet  with  a 
thick  rnat  of  moss.  At  this  season  of  the  year  (August)  these  moss- 
fields  are  sometimes  burned  over.  Ordinarily  the  moss-beds  are  too 
damp  to  burn. 

It  was  a  very  strange-seeming  night.  In  the  morning  the  sky 
looked  black  ;  nor  did  the  sun  show  its  dull,  copper  disk  through  the 
smoke  pall,  till  near  ten  o'clock. 

There  was  no  wind,  yet  fine  white  ashes  were  continually  sifted 
down. 

Nugent  said  there  was  sure  to  be  plenty  of  game  within  a  day  or 
two  —  driven  southward  by  the  fires.  That  day  the  bear  traps  were 
all  set  at  ditferent  points.  While  taking  a  swim  early  in  the  morning, 
Moses  O.  had  seen  a  bear  walking  along  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
lake.  Stein  and  he,  with  Nugent,  had  crossed  over  at  once.  The  bear 
had  moved  on,  but  left  some  prodigious  tracks  behind  him  in  the  sand. 
Some  of  these  were  measured,  and  our  two  comrades  returned  pro- 
foundly impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  Tshistagama  bears  —  their 


SETTING  BEAR   TRAPS. 


167 


feet,  at  least.     "  Why,"  said  Moses,  "  that  old  chap  would  need  a  No. 
13  boot.    He's  a   regular  Voorhees." 

They  set  one  of  the  traps  in  a  "  path  "  which  they  had  discovered. 
Nugent  did  not  chain  his  traps,  but  fastened  a  log  of  wood  to  them,  a 
"  clog  "  he  called  it. 

The  lake  at  this  place  is  about  a  mile  in  width.     We  judged  it  to 
be  thirteen  miles  long.      Here,  too,  there  were  wininish.      Otelne 
caught  one  early  in  the  morning 
which  would  have  weighed  six 
pounds.  •  . 

In  the  afternoon,  Moses  and 
Rike  went  out  in  one  of  the 
canoes,  to  try  their  hand  at 
luininish  —  and  had  a  rather 
perilous  adventure.  The  first 
intimation  of  their  trouble  which 
the  rest  of  us  (who  were  taking 
a  siesta  at  the  time)  received, 
was  a  shout  from  Otelne.  Be- 
fore we  got  out,  Nugent  and  he 
had  launched  another  canoe  and 
were  paddling  vigorously  off  from  the  shore.  Out  a  third  of  a 
mile,  or  more,  there  was  a  nondescript-looking  object  floating  in  the 
water  with  what  looked  like  a  man's  head  on  it. 

Our  two  fishermen  had  capsized,  and  were  having  about  all  they 
could  do  to  keep  afloat.  Nugent  picked  them  up  and  brought  them 
ashore  —  dripping.  He  then  paddled  oack  for  their  hats  which  he 
recovered,  and  also  towed  in  a  rivininish,  which  would  have  weighed 
at  least  ten  pounds! — twelve  Nugent  set  it.  It  was  the  big  fish  which 
had  overturned  them.  Wiiile  dryings  Rike  gave  us  the  following 
points  of  their  experience  with  the  W2V//«e5^;  — 


r:;-iBjN»5irT^ 


BIG  TRACKS. 


i68 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


%  \ 


CAPSIZED  BY  A  WININISH. 

We  had  been  angling  patiently  for  some  time.  By  getting  my  face  down 
close  to  the  water,  I  at  length  discerned  the  faint  outlines  of  a  large  fish,  a 
wininishi  balancing  himself  a  foot  or  two  up  from  the  sandy  bottom,  slowly, 
fanning  and  winnowing  the  water  with  its  clear  fins. 

Again  and  again,  we  dropped  the  meat  bait  in  front  of  him,  where  it 
would  almost  rub  his  nose.  He  wouldn't  touch  it ;  wouldn't  even  so  much  as 
smell  of  it.  At  last  I  let  mine  fall  plump  on  his  back,  when,  as  if  provoked 
at  my  persistence,  he  swung  round,  and  opening  wide  his  big  mouth,  swal- 
lowed it,  hook  and 
all,  at  one  gulp. 

I  jerked,  and 
then  there  was  a 
lively  scrimmage. 
For,  feeling  the 
prick,  the  great  fish 
darted  away,  mak- 
ing a  great  szvirl 
deep  down  in  the 
water,  and  sawing 
the  line  into  my 
fingers.  The  ca- 
noe turned  with 
him.  I  held  on.  Moving  slowly  at  first,  our  little  birch  began  to  glide 
oflT,  faster  and  faster,  as  the  big  fish  darted  away  toward  the  middle  of  the 
lake.  I  think  at  one  time  we  were  drawn  through  the  water  as  fast  as  a 
horse  could  trot.  But  he  could  not  continue  that  speed,  and  gradually 
decreased  it.  Then  he  stopped  altogether.  The  water  was  black  and  deep 
here.  We  couldn't  see  the  winnish.  He  was  down  the  whole  length  of 
the  line,  and  would  not  come  to  the  top,  but  held  back,  like  a  hog. 

Mose  took  the  line,  and  I  seized  the  other  pole  to  punch  him.  All  at  once 
he  made  a  great  rush  through  the  water,  under  the  canoe,  giving  a  heavy 
tug  at  the  line,  which  nearly  jerked  Mose  overboard.  I  jumped  up  to  catch 
hold  of  it  with  him.    Just  then  the  fish  plunged  off  sidewise,  quick  as  a  flash. 


CAPSIZED. 


CAPSIZED  BY  A    WINLMSII. 


169 


making  the  line  almost  "sing"  ar  it  rushed  through  the  water,  and,  —  I 
can't  tell  exactly  how  it  happened,  —  but  the  little  birch  box  of  a  canoe  spun 
round  under  us,  rolled,  and  over  we  went,  sprawling  into  the  water. 

We  could  both  of  us  swim,  but  this  was  such  a  sudden  duck  under  that  I 
sucked  in  more  water  than  was  quite  pleasant,  and  came  up  blowing  and 
strangling. 

The  first  object  I  spw,  when  I  came  up,  was  Moses'  head  and  arms  a  few 
yards  off.  He  was  seemingly  trying  to  swim  towards  me,  uj«ing  every  effort 
to  get  to  my  side  ;  but,  strange  to  say,  he  was  going  backwards,  out  into  the 
lake  !     Seeing  my  head  bob  up,  he  yelled,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  — 

"Help!  Help  I" 

"What's  the  matter?"  spluttered  I. 

"  Help  I  He's  got  me  by  the 
legs  I " 

'*  What  has?" 

"The  fish  — the  line!  Help!  or 
he'll  draw  me  under  !  " 

The  line  had  become  wound  about 
his  leg  somehow  ;  and,  as  the  ivininish 
was  fast  on  the  hook,  they  were  at  a 
deadlock.  Not  exactly  at  a  deadlock, 
either ;  for,  though  swimming  with  all 
his  might  for  the  shore,  Mose  was 
getting  farther  out  into  the  lake  at 
every  stroke.      The  fish  was  stronger  in  the  water  than  he. 

I  swam  to  him  as  quick  as  I  could,  and,  reaching  down,  tried  to  get  the 
line  from  his  lef-  But  it  was  wound  and  snarled  so  securely,  that,  with  the 
fish  pulli.:  ' ''     ^    t,  I  could  not  start  it. 

"  Help  I  hoiU  him,  then  !  "  panted  Mose,  "  or  he'll  have  me  under  ! " 

So,  keeping  hold  of  the  line  with  one  hand,  I  struck  out  with  the 
other. 

Together  we  were  a  little  more  than  a  match  for  the  fish.  It  must 
have  been  a  ludicrous  sort  of  swimming-match,  but  was  no  joke  for  us 
though !  , 

Every  few  seconds  the  fish  would  dart  aside,  jerking  us  under  for  a  mo- 
ment ;  but  we  hung  to  the  line,  (Mose  couldn't  very  well  help  it,)  and  foot  by 
foot  worked  our  way  back  to  the  canoe,  where  we  clung  till  Nugent  got  out 
to  us. 


HIS  HEAD. 


I 


170 


THE  KNOCK-AliOUr  CLUB. 


It  was  a  magnificent  fish. 

Wc  feasted  on  it  for  two  clays,  changing  altcrnatel}'  from  ivininish 
to  caribou. 

While  we  were  dining  that  night  we  repeatedly  heard  a  whizzing, 
rushing  noise  in  the  air.  It  proved  to  be  ducks,  both  sheldrake  and 
black  ducks,  coming  into  the  lake  from  the  north.     The  fire  may  have 


SHOOTING  DUCKS  BY  TORCHLIGHT. 


hastened  their  flight  southward.  Flock  after  flock  came  down  in 
quick  succession. 

"I'll  show  ye  sport!"  Nugent  kept  saying. 

He  rigged  a  torch  in  the  bow  of  one  of  the  canoes,  and  set  up  be- 
hind it  one  of  our  tin  pans,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  reflect  the  lighl 
forward,  and  leave  the  canoe  and  its  occupants  in  the  darkness.  With 
this  rig,  he,  with  Rike  and  Harold,  and  Otelne  to  row,  put  out  as  soon 


ODD  GAME. 


171 


as  it  was  fairly  dark.  The  reports  of  their  guns  immeclintcly  showed 
that  they  were  having  sport  —  much  to  the  envy  of  us  who  were  left 
behind. 

They  did  not  get  back  till  between  eleven  and  twelve,  but  were  in 
high  glee;  they  had  shot  and  picked  up  forty-three  ducks.  And  they 
assured  us  that  these  were  far  from  being  all  that  they  had  killed;  in 
fact,  numbers  of  dead  ducks  were  seen  afloat  next  day.  Some  of  these 
drifted  ashore. 

Nugent  and  Harold  had  crossed  over  to  look  to  the  trap  set  for 
the  big  bear  on  the  opposite  shore  the  previous  afternoon.  It  lay  un- 
sprung and  unmolested.  Next  day  Stein  and  Kar/y  went  over  to 
visit  it.  In  the  course  of  two  hours  they  came  hurriedly  paddling 
back.  . 

"It's  sprung  I  It's  gone  I  "  Karzy  exclaimed.  "  But  there's  some- 
thing more  than  Just  a  bear  in  that  trap! " 

"Don't  get  excited,  Karzy,"  said  Moses  O.  "Calm  your  feelings 
and  tell  us  all  about  it. 

"  I'm  not  excited,"  protested  our  young  comrade  indignantly. 
"  I'm  only  out  of  breath  rowing.  But  I  guess  any  one  might  be  par- 
doned for  getting  somewhat  wrought  up.  \ye  went  where  the  trap 
w^as  set  —  and  found  it  gone.  Then  we  followed  on  after  it,  by  the 
marks  the  clog  had  made,  away  out  through  a  thick  swamp,  half  a 
mile.  Suddenly,  right  ahead  of  us,  not  twenty  yards  off,  there  rose  a 
cry  of  agony,  wild,  fearfully  shrill  and  piercing.  So  unearthly  loud  had 
it  sounded  that  we  hardly  knew  where  or  how  near  it  was,  and  stood 
breathless.  It  startled  us  both,  very  much.  Then  we  heard  other 
noises.  There  was  a  terrific  thrashing,  and  clanking,  and  pounding 
of  the  ground!  We  could  hear  wood  —  seemingly  great  poles  — 
breaking  and  cracking  as  if  some  mighty  struggle  was  going  on. 

"This  cracking  and  pounding  continued  for  several  seconds,  then 
came  another  terrible  cry,  then  another,  and  still  another;  the  most 
agonizing  and   blood-curdling  sounds  that  can  well   be   imagined. 


■i! 

I! 


i 


172  THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 

And  —  well  —  we  thought  we  would  come  over  and  get  the  rest  of 
you  felloivs^ 

"  Make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  Karzy,"  laughed  Harold.  "  Confess 
that  you  both  '  lit '  out  of  that  swamp  at  just  your  handsomest  paces." 

"  'Tis  false,"  exclaimed  Karzy.     "  Did  we  run,  Freel  ?  " 

**No,"  said  Stein,  "we  only  walked  —  quite  rapidly." 

All  hands  paddled  across  to  see  what  we  had  caught.  Landing, 
we  followed  Karzy's  lead  into  the  swamp,  and  presently  —  as  we 
cautiously  drew  up  to  the  spot  where  the  boys  had  heard  the  cries  — 
a  deep  and  labored  breathing  began  to  be  heard.  We  instantly 
stopped  to  listen.  The  sound  continued  with  an  occasional  loud 
grunt. 

"  It's  the  critter  in  the  trap,"  said  Nugent. 

We  expected  nothing  less.  Meanwhile,  a  heavy  trampling  and 
cracking  of  brush  was  heard.  Very  cautiously,  and  somewhat  fear- 
fully, we  peered  through  the  alders,  every  gun  cocked. 

"There  he  is,"  whispered  Nugent,  "in  the  trap  I  A  great  gray  — 
why,  why,  why!  Thunder!  that's  a  caribou  I '''' 

"Av/hat?" 

"A  caribou!"  /  . 

It  was  indeed  a  large  caribou  buck,  hung  up  against  a  root  by  the 
clog! 

To  dispatch  him  was  now  but  the  work  ol  a  moment.  The 
animal  was  even  larger  than  our  first  one. 

To  set  a  trap  for  bear  aad  catch  caribou  was  indeed  an  odd 
chance.  Otelne  laughed  all  the  evening;  and  always  afterwards 
whenever  it  was  mentioned.  "  C^nbou,  he  tink  new  kind  wolf  grab 
him  by  leg  —  little  small  kind  o'  wolf,  but  very  strong!"  he  would 
say. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

ANOTHER   CARIBOU.       NUGENT'S   FIGHT  WITH   A   LOUP   CERVIER. 


N  the  next  morning,  but  very  early,  before  any  one 
else  was  awake,  Otelne,  who  was  out  looking  for  game 
signs,  saw  amither  caribou  come  out  upon  the  summit 
of  the  high  crag  back  of  our  camp.  The  animal  stood 
quiet,  looking  off  on  the  lake;  and  Otelne,  taking  his 
gun,  crept  stealthily  back  almost  to  the  very  foot  of  the 
precipice,  and  shot  it. 

Instead  of  bounding  backward  when  struck  by  the 
ball,  the  creature  gave  a  convulsed  leap,  and  came  headlong  down 
the  cliff,  striking  in  the  tops  of  some  spruces,  whence  it  fell  through  to 
the  ground.  Otelne  ran  up,  when,  somewhat  to  his  astonishment,  the 
caribou  bounded  to  its  feet  and  sprang  off!  There  were  copious 
douches  of  blood  on  the  stones,  however. 

Nugent  said  the  animal  would  run  a  mile  or  two  and  drop.  So, 
after  breakfast,  we  started  out  to  find  it  and  bring  it  in.  The  track 
was  not  difficult  to  follow.  The  deer  had  fled  along  the  lake  shore; 
its  foot-prints  in  the  mud  and  the  sand  were  plainly  visible.  But  even 
after  three  or  four  miles  it  showed  no  symptoms  of  droppings  or 
slackening  its  speed.  We  followed  on  until  we  came  to  the  river 
(Perilonca),  which  it  had  waded  at  a  shallow,  and  which  we  too 
waded,  waist  deep.  From  the  other  bank,  straight  off  into  the  woods, 
still  the  trail  led  us,  for  at  least  two  miles  further,  when  we  came 
upon  the  poor  creature  among  some  rocks  beset  by  five  loup  cerviers! 
The   growling  and  snarling  these  brutes  were  making    over    their 


174 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


booty  had  caused  us  to  pull  up  while  still  at  a  considerable  distance. 
One  of  them  was  sitting  up  like  a  cat  on  one  of  the  rocks;  the 
others  were  tearing  and  eating  the  caribou  which  they  had  throttled 
already.  The  one  on  the  rock  looked  as  large  as  a  pretty  good- 
sized  bull-dog.  It  had  an  enormously  big,  round  head  and  large, 
yellow  eyes.  •  ' 

"  There's  a  mark  for  you,"  said  Nugent  to  Harold. 

Our  captain  let  ^^  bullet  go  at  it,  and  with  such  good  aim,  that  the 


OTELNE  HUNTING  CARIBOU. 


beast  leaped  up,  turning  a  compjete  somersault  in  the  air,  and  fell 
heavily  betwixt  the  rocks. 

With  that  the  other  four  hopped  up  in  sight  off  the  caribou  —  for 
a  moment;  but  they  all  skulked  before  we  could  get  aim,  except  one, 
a  big  old  "Tom."  This  one  which  seemed  considerably  larger  and 
fiercer  than  the  others,  wouldn't  budge,  but  stood  growling  hideously. 
Its  great  round  eyes  shone  like  silver;  in  fact,  it  looked  to  be  no 
contemptible  antagonist  for  the  boldest  hunter. 

"  Don't  shoot,"  said  Nugent.     "  I'll  show  you  some  fun." 


NUGENT'S  FIGHT  WITH  A   LOUP  CERVIER. 


175 


He  whipped  out  his  knife  and  cut  an  alder  club,  three  feet  long, 
and  as  thick  as  one's  wrist. 

"Are  you  going  to  fight  that  beast?"  exclaimed  Harold. 

"Oh!  I'll  soon  fix  him,"  said  Nugent,  and  slipping  past  us  he 
walked  slowly  toward  the  lynx,  holding  his  club  ready  to  strike. 

"  He'll  surely  jump  at  you!  "  Rike  exclaimed;  for  the  animal  was 
snarling  savagely. 

"Let  him  jump,"  said  Nugent.  "That's  just  what  I  want  him 
to  do." 

The  lynx  growled  and  crouched  lower  and  lower,  working  its 
hind  feet.  Then  it  jumped;  but  Nugent  was  on  his  guard,  and  when 
the  brute  leaped,  he  jumped  back.  The  animal  struck  on  the  ground 
a  few  feet  in  front  of  him,  and  before  it  could  spring  again  the 
heavy,  green  alder  came  down  on  its  head  with  a  sounding  thump 
which  sent  it  sprawling.  But  it  took  fully  a  dozen  blows,  dealt  with 
might  and  main,  to  fairly  dispatch  the  creature.  Nugent  then  took 
the  body  by  the  fore-paws,  and  laid  one  on  each  shoulder,  allowing 
the  hind  feet  to  rest  on  the  ground,  thus  showing  the  length  of  the 
animal.     Its  claws  were  hooked  like  those  of  an  owl. 

Scarcely  was  the  singular  duel  over  when  Stein,  chancing  to  turn, 
saw  a  she-wolf,  a  large  gray  one,  standing  beside  a  fir  not  more  than 
fifty  yards  off.  He  shot  at  it  on  the  instant,  but  the  beast  leaped 
away.  Truly,  that  poor  caribou  had  been  pursued  by  manifold 
hunters  that  morning;  its  carcass  was  so  badly  torn  and  gory,  that  we 
let  it  lie  where  the  loup  cetviers  had  pulled  it  down.  Nugent 
managed,  however,  to  cut  out  some  steaks  from  one  of  the  quarters, 
which  he  broiled  for  our  dinner. 

Next  day  was  Sunda}';  and,  as  it  happened,  the  "scribe"  had  a 
little  adventure  of  his  own,  though  fortune  rarely  favors  him  much  in 
that  line.     Stein  was  the  man  for  adventures  on  this  trip. 

Getting  tired  of  lying  in  camp,  the  day  being  fihe,  the  said  scribe 
started  out  for  a  walk.  True,  it  was  Sunday,  but  he  took  his  gun;  for, 


!i^! 


■''\  h 


176 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


after  Stein's  roosting  in  the  tree  over  night,  watched  by  loup-cerviers, 
we  all  made  it  a  point  to  take  our  guns  on  going  out,  even  for  a  walk. 
It  was  a  comfortably  warm  day,  but  cloudy,  rather  thickly  cloudy; 
and  the  air  darkened  at  times  as  if  great  black  masses  of  vapor,  above 
the  haze,  were  gathering  for  showers. 

Going  north-eastward  along  the  lake  shore  for  two  miles,  perhaps 
three,  he  came  to  where  a  large  stony  brook  flowed  in.  The  water 
was  low  among  great,  black  mossy  boulders;  and  a  little  way  up  he 
found  a  pool,  now  getting  dry,  where  there  were  pent  up  six  large, 
tuladi  trout,  the  very  smallest  of  which  would  weigh  nearly  two 
pounds.  All  six  of  these  were  captured  very  easily,  and,  when  strung 
on  a  stout  alder  fork,  the}'  made  as  pretty  a  string  of  fish  as  one  would 
ever  wish  to  astonish  one's  fellows  with  by  taking  home  to  camp. 

Hanging  ti.is  piscatorial  trophy  to  a  high  fir  limb,  the  scribe  went 
on  up  the  brook,  reasoning  inwardly  on  the  matter  of  fishing  Sundays, 
and  arguing  with  his  conscience  that  this  could  fairly  be  termed  an  ex- 
ceptional case,  the  fish  being  there  in  a  hole,  suffering  to  be  caught, — 
so  to  speak,  —  when  a  rather  rare  object  in  that  region  claimed  his 
attention.  It  was  a  clump  of  six  or  eight  poplars,  or  trees  res  *  bling 
poplars,  standing  on  the  high  bank  of  the  brook,  eighteen  or  LVvCnty 
rods  ahead,  and  making,  in  contrast  v/ith  the  surrounding  black-green 
spruce  and  fir  foliage,  a  very  notable  feature  in  the  landscape.  It  had 
been  the  opinion  of  the  party  that  no  maple  or  poplar  grew  in  this 
section  of  the  country.  Interested  in  adding  something  new  to  the 
general  fund  of  information,  the  scribe  climbed  the  bank,  with  diffi- 
culty, for  it  was  both  high  and  steep,  and  found  beyond  doubt  that  the 
trees  were  true  poplars,  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter,  one  nearly  two 
feet,  and  from  seventy  to  eighty  feet  tall. 

But  five  or  six  of  the  trees  were  dead,  or  dying.  There  was 
scarcely  a  leaf  in  their  tops;  and  the  topmost  limbs,  too,  had  an  odd, 
yellowish  look.  This  climate  is  too  severe  for  poplars,  thought  the 
scribe,  these  trees   were  winter-killed  last  season;   and  then  he  sat 


THE  ''SCRIBE'S''  ADVENTURE, 


177 


down  to  observe  a  new  object  of  interest,  in  the  form  of  a  large  ant- 
hill, or  rather  ant-burrow,  on  the  top  of  the  bank  near  the  roots  of  the 
poplars.  There  was  a  large  hole  in  the  dry  bank,  as  big  as  the  mouth 
of  an  ink-bottle,  and  into  this  the  ants  —  a  medium-sized,  black 
species,  with  a  certain  watery  reddish  tint  —  were  going  in  numbers. 
But,  unlike  the  ants  of  more  southern  latitudes,  these  had  not  thrown 
up  a  hill  at  the  mouth  of  their  house.  Their  door  was  simply  this 
round  hole  down  into  the  ground,  and,  so  far  as  he  could  ascertain 
by  measuring  with  a  straw,  it  extended  straight  downward  a  foot  or 
more.  The  conjecture  suggested  itself  that  this  departure  from  the 
methods  of  their  more  southern  congeners,  was  on  account  of  the 
severity  of  the  winters,  which  made  it  necessary  to  their  existence 
that  their  houses  should  be  deep  down  in  the  earth,  out  of  reach  of 
the  intensity  of  the  frost. 

But  the  scribe  had  not  sat  long  when  a  short,  sharp  shriek  —  an 
odd,  querulous  note  —  from  directly  over  head,  broke  in  upon  his 
entomological  study.  Glancing  upward  he  saw  nothing  at  first,  but  a 
moment  after  espied  what  looked  to  be  a  yellow-gray  bundle,  the  size 
of  a  peck  measure,  in  a  fork  of  one  of  the  poplars,  up  thirty-five  or 
forty  feet  from  the  ground.  A  second  glance  showed  it  to  be  a 
Canada  porcupine,  or  hedgehog;  and  while  he  was  reconnoitring  the 
animal,  he  saw  still  another  in  a  fork  of  two  limbs  higher  up. 

The  secret  of  the  dead,  yellowed  trees  was  out  at  once.  It  was 
not  a  case  of  winter-killing,  but  of  hedgehog-killing.  These  greedy 
animals  had  gnawed  the  bark  off  the  poplar  limbs,  almost  completely 
denuded  them,  in  fact,  and  would,  in  the  course  of  the  month,  destroy 
that  whole  rare  grove. 

The  scribe  had  heard  of  baked  hedgehog,  —  baked  in  their  skins, 
and  salt)  |.i.  jjc  a  luxury  among  Indians.  A  vision  of  a  new  dish  for 
his  comrade"^  took  possession  of  his  mind.  He  either  forgot  that  it 
was  Sun4i^,  or  else  for  the  moment  his  sportsman's  instincts  made 
)   m  reckless.     In  a  minute  his  gun  was  cocked,  and,  taking  aim  at 


_rtf 

I 

% 
•I 

I 


m 


% 


178 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


the  lowermost  of  the  "  q^aill-pigs,"  he  fired  and  shot  it.  T  e  bristly 
little  creature  tumbled  off  the  limb  at  once,  but  caught  in  a  crotch 
between  a  lower  limb  and  the  trunk,  where  it  hung  kicking. 

The  other,  alarmed  by  the  report  of  the  gun  and  the  fall  of  its 
mate,  started  to  come  down,  but  lost  its  hold,  and  tumbled  from  limb 
to  limb,  catching  at  each  with  its  hooked  toes.  But  it  fell  to  the 
ground,  with  a  sounding  thump;  the  scribe,  indeed,  had  to  jump  nim- 
bly out  of  the  way.  The  moment  the  animal  struck  the  earth  it 
coiled  itself  up  in  a  thorny  ball  Not  lacing  to  strike  it  with  the 
butt  of  the  gun,  the  un-Sabbatarian  hunter  gave  it  a  poke,  when, 
presto!  it  unrolled  as  suddenly  as  it  had  rolled  up,  and  made  a 
wonderfully  direct  bolt  for  an  old  upturned  root,  and  before  the 
tardy  sportsman  could  cut  it  ofi',  it  had  made  good  its  retreat  into 
a  hole  under  the  root. 

"Well  done,  little  fellow,"  quoth  the  scribe.  "But  I  will  make 
sure  of  your  mate! "  And,  pulling  off  his  shoodng  jacket,  he  started 
up  the  poplar  bear  fashion,  with  his  arms  locked  round  the  trunk. 

It  cost  some  little  exertion  and  a  good  deal  of  wriggling  to  get  up 
thirty  feet;  and  so  much  wriggling  produced  an  effect  on  the  tree 
which  the  climber  had  not  anticipated. 

As  has  been  said,  the  poplar  stood  on  a  high,  crumbling  bank,  at 
the  base  of  which  the  brook  had  been  digging  during  freshets,  wash- 
ing out  the  roots  of  the  trees  on  that  side.  This  particular  tree  leaned 
out  a  little  on  that  side;  several  of  them  did;  and  by  the  time  the 
hunter  of  porcupines  had  got  up  nearly  to  where  the  hedgehog  was, 
the  poplar  began  to  sag  over  towards  the  stream,  and  the  bank  to 
crumble  and  slide  down,  —  and  it  kept  sagging  over  and  crumbling, 
slowly  at  first,  but  awfully  sure;  and  it  was  sixty  feet  down  to  the 
water,  if  an  inch.  He  felt  it  going.  How  deep  the  water  was  down 
at  the  foot  of  the  bank  he  could  only  guess.  It  was  a  still,  dark-look- 
ing pool  of  deep,  stagnant  water.  He  seemed  an  age  going  down, — 
sailing  those  sixty  feet  through  the  air!      Clutching  the  branches,  he 


THE  '' SCRIBE'S"  ADVENTURE. 


179 


struck  the  water  back  first,  head  and  shoulders  down,  with  such  a  tre- 
mendous spat  as  nearly  to  knock  the  breath  out  of  his  body. 

But,  luckily  for  his  bones,  he  did  not  strike  the  bottom,  as  he  had 
expected.  It  was  a  deep  hole,  and  being  a  tolerable  swimmer  he  got 
clear  of  the  brush,  came  to  the  surface  and  reached  the  shore.  But 
his  ears  were  singing  smartly,  and  altogether  he  did  not  feel  like 
giving  much  attention  to  the  hedgehog,  which  had  disappeared  in  the 
melee. 

Landing,  he  first  wrung  his  clothes,  then  sat  down  on  the  bank 
to  dry  awhile,  and  had  nothing  in  the  way  of  baked  hedgehog  in  view 
to  solace  him  for  his  ducking.  In  fact  he  omitted  this  episode  entirely 
from  his  account  of  his  walk,  to  his  comrades,  and  was  content  to  let 
them  admire  those  tuladi  without  making  any  reference  to  hedge- 
hogs. 

A  rather  singular  phenomenon  resulted  from  this  fall.  For  more 
than  a  week  after  that  the  scribe  had  not  a  little  difficulty  in  sleeping 
nights.  No  sooner  would  he  get  in  a  drowse  than  he  would  dream  of 
falling:  would  seem  to  be  going — going  —  going  down  into  bottom- 
less pools  of  ink-black  water.  The  sensation  was  so  vivid  that  he 
would  sometimes  jump  half  out  of  his  bunk  in  his  unreasoning 
fright. 


i^ 


IP 


was. 


k- 


'■1 


il 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BEAR   VERSUS   HEDGEHOG.       KARZY  GOES    BEAVER-HUNTING. 

|ARZY,  as  it  happened,  had  a  Sunday  adventure,  too. 
His  was  more  gamey  than  the  scribe's,  but,  oddly 
enough,  had  a  hedgehog  in  it.  To  the  credit  of  Karzy 
it  should  be  said  that  he  did  not  start  off  in  quest  of 
Sunday  adventures,  but  merely  to  gather  blueberries. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  he  had  discovered  a 
brule,  or  small  burnt  tract,  in  the  w^oods  where  these 
berries  abounded.  So,  taking  our  tin  water-pail,  he 
crossed  over  in  a  canoe  to  gather  blueberries  for  dinner.  While 
wandering  about  the  bruU  he  saw  a  most  amusing  thing.  It  was 
on  the  hillside,  in  the  midst  of  old  logs  and  stumps,  among  which 
a  rank  second  growth  of  wild  red  cherry  had  sprung  up,  along  with 
a  profusion  of  high  briers. 

He  was  walking  through  this  bushy  tract,  when,  to  his  surprise,  he 
came  upon  a  bear,  not  more  than  five  or  six  rods  off,  and  a  very  large 
one,  he  says.  The  animal  was  smelling  and  nosing  about  a  great 
pine  stump,  around  which  stood  the  clear  red  stems  of  three  or  four 
thrifty  cherry  trees. 

The  bear  had  not  heard  him,  being  intent  on  something  inside,  or 
under  the  stump.  Here  was  a  fine  chance  to  do  some  fancy  hunting, 
especially  as  Karzy  had  Rike's  fine  double-barrelled  "  Purdy,"  well 
loaded  with  buck  shot,  but  either  because  it  was  Sunday,  or  for  some 
other  reason^  our  young  comrade  drew  very  gently  down  into  the 
briers  out  of  sight.  No  doubt  the  bear  looked  very  big  and  burly. 
His  great  broad  head  appeared  as  large  as  a  bushel  basket,  Karzy 


BEAR   VERSUS  HEDGEHOG. 


l8l 


says,  and  he  very  appropriately  reirarked  that  if  one  were  going  to 
shoot  such  a  bear  as  that,  he  needed  bullets. 

So  Karzy  contented  himself  with  playing  the  role  of  naturalist 
instead  of  hunter. 

First  the  bear  would  peep  down  under  the  stump  beside  one  of 
the  bleached  roots,  growl  a  little,  then  thrust  in  a  paw  and  reach  for 
something.  Soon  he  began  to  tear  and  wrench  at  the  stump,  which 
was  old  and  decayed.  It  cracked  and  split  under  the  beast's  great 
strength.  Off  came  one  side  of  the  stump  with  a  part  of  the  root.  It 
was  full  of  ants.  These  came  swarming  out.  They  got  on  the  bear, 
and  it  was  amusing  to  see  his  conduct.  He  threw  himself  amongst 
the  dry  leaves,  and  rolled  and  snapped  at  the  ants,  throwing  a  cloud 
of  leaves  into  the  air.  Then  he  would  jump  up  and  fly  at  the  stump 
again,  tearing  and  rending  it  with  his  great  claws. 

Once  or  twice,  as  the  ants  swarmed  out,  Karzy  saw  him  brush  them 
into  his  mouth;  and  he  began  to  think  it  was  the  ants  the  creature  was 
digging  for.  But  it  was  not;  for  a  few  minutes  after  he  got  down  to 
the  game,  and  with  one  paw  scooped  out  a  reddish,  hairy  ball,  which 
he  sent  rolling  ten  or  a  dozen  feet. 

At  first  sight  Karzy  took  it  for  a  woodchuck,  but  soon  perceived  it 
to  be  a  hedgehog  coiled  into  a  ball,  with  its  quills  bristling.  The  bear 
sniffed  it  and  rolled  it  gingerly  over,  but  did  not  attempt  to  bite  it.  In 
this  particular  wild  animals  show  themselves  more  sensible  than  dogs, 
which  frequently  get  in  sorry  plight  from  worrying  hedgehogs.  Roll- 
ing it  carefully  over,  the  bear  would  work  one  paw  under  it,  and  then 
send  it  spinning  thirty  or  forty  feet. 

This  manoeuvre  was  repeated  some  half  a  dozen  times,  when, 
either  from  accident  or  design,  the  hedgehog  was  hurled  violently 
against  another  stump.  When  it  fell  it  went  out  of  Karzy's  sight;  but 
he  thought  that  the  shock  either  killed  or  stunned  it,  so  as  to  cause  it 
to  partially  uncoil,  for  the  bear  immediately  begar  cearing  and  eating  it. 

Our  comrade  remained  quiet  (still  in  the  role  of  naturalist),  and  in 


l82 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


1 


the  course  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  the  bear  finishdd  his  dinner,  and 
then  stalked  off.  After  waiting  a  little  longer  Karzy  rose  from  his 
hiding-place  and  went  forward  to  the  scene  of  the  bear's  operations. 
He  found  the  skin  of  a  hedgehog  only.  It  had  been  torn  open  along 
the  under  side  of  the  body,  and  the  carcass  nicely  peeled  out. 

We  would  have  given  a  trifle  to  know  whether  the  bear  actually 
did  kill  anv.  eat  the  hedgehog  without  getting  any  of  the  quills  into  his 
paws  or  mouth.  It  was  Karzy's  impression  that  he  avoided  them 
altogether. 

While  on  the  subject  of  our  younger  comrade's  hunting  exploits, 
we  may  as  well  recount  his  adventure  lying  in  wait  for  beavers. 

Nugent  had  discovered  beaver  signs,  and  two  or  three  of  their 
mud  houses,  in  a  large  brook,  —  the  same  on  which  the  scribe  had 
had  his  accident  climbing  for  hedgehogs.  Several  traps  were  set 
there,  but  nothing  was  caught;  and  one  afternoon  Karzy,  having  had 
a  little  falling  out  with  Rike,  went  off  to  the  brook  alone,  to  watch 
for  beavers.  As  these  animals  come  abroad  from  their  coverts  chiefly 
after  nightfall,  it  was  Karzy's  avowed  purpose  to  conceal  himself  near 
the  bank  of  the  brook  and  lie  in  wait  for  them  till  after  dark.  Hence 
we  did  not  expect  him  back  till  evening. 

Evening  came;  we  ate  supper,  and  began  to  think  it  was  about 
time  for  him  to  return,  when  we  heard  a  gun  a  long  way  off,  in  the 
direction  of  the  brook.  .  ''\;  !    ,  ^ 

^'^  Karzy's  among  the  beavers,"  said  Moses  O. 
'■      Pretty  soon  we  heard  another,  and  then  another,  and  shortly  after 
another.  '  ;      -        ^ 

"He's  making  a  tremendous  slaughter,"  observed  Rike. 

A  few  minutes  after  we  heard  still  another  gun. 

"  It  can't  be  beaver  he's  firing  at,"  Nugent  remarked.  "They're 
too  shy  a  creature  to  get  more  than  one  shot  at  in  the  same  place." 

"What  can  he  be  shooting  at,  then?"  said  Stein. 

"You  don't  suppose  those  are  signal-guns,  do  you?"  said  Harold. 


'f 


BEAVERS  AT  WORK. 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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2.0 


11.25  III  1.4 


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Kiotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WiST  MAIN  STRUT 

WnSTIR.N.Y.  MSSO 

{716)i7a-4503 


o'^ 


KAXZr  GOES  BEAVER-HUNTING. 


«8S 


We  hardly  knew  what  to  think. 

Anon  there  came  another  gun. 

"This  never '11  do,  fellows,"  said  Moses  O.,  uprearing  his  long 
length  from  off  the  ground.  "  We've  got  to  hunt  that  child  up.  He's 
in  trouble  again." 

Forthwith  all  hands  set  off  for  the  brook,  led  by  Nugent  and 
Otelne;  and  three  more  reports,  booming  away  at  intervals,  directed 
us  to  the  scene  of  the  difficulty. 

The  bank  was  high  here,  and  just  as  we  came  out  on  the  stream 
there  was  a  flash  and  another  stunning  report  from  down  at  the  foot 
of  the  bank. 

"  Well,  v/hat's  the  matter?  "  Harold  shouted. 

"  Oh,  I  got  after  a  beaver,"  was  the  rather  disconsolate  response 
from  down  in  the  darkness.     "  But  you'll  have  to  make  a  raft,  if  you 


can." 

"  Make  a  raft,"  cried  Nugent. 

"Yes,  if  you  can.    You  know  I  can't  swim,"  answered  Karzy. 

On  closer  inspection  we  were  able  to  discern  Karzy  pen,hed  on 
something  which  we  took  at  first  for  an  old  stump,  or  rock,  out  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  from  the  bank;  but  it  proved  to  be  a  beaver-house. 

We  had  quite  a  job  of  it,  for  it  was  no  small  matter  to  make  a  raft 
there  in  the  night.  First  we  built  a  fire.  By  good  1  "k  Otelne  had 
brought  along  his  hatchet.  We  searched  along  the  ban  and  found 
a  number  of  dry  drift-logs,  which,  with  withes  and  poles,  we  made 
into  a  rough  raft.  Nugent  and  Moses  O.  then  got  on  it  and  pushed 
cautiously  out  to  where  Karzy  sat. 

"  Get  aboard  here,"  exclaimed  Moses  O.,  rather  impatiently,  for 
he  thought  Karzy  might  have  got  ashore  himself,  if  he  had  tried. 

Karzy  clambered  down  upon  the  raft.  "  Now  hold  on  till  I  get 
the  beaver,"  said  he. 

"Oh,  you've  got  a  beaver! "  cried  Nugent. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Karzy,  quietly;  "  that's  what  I  was  out  here  after." 


7«6 


THE  KNOCK-'ABOUT  XLUB: 


**But  how  did  you  get  out  here  if  you  couldn't  get  back  ?"  asked 
Moses  O.  ' 

"Well,  you  see,"  explained  Karzy,  somewhat  chop-fallen,  "I  was 
lying  in  wait  in  the  bushes,  up  the  bank  here.  For  an  hour  or  two  I 
didn't  see  anything.  Then,  awhile  after  sunset,  I  heard  the  water 
splash,  and  saw  a  beaver  rise  to  the  surface  close  to  this  house,  and 
swim  off  up  to  a  green  birch  tree,  which  had  been  gnawed  down  and 
lay  in  the  water,  a  few  rods  up  stream. 

i  "  I  kept  still,  and  watched  him  bite  off  a  lot  of  branches  and  cut 
them  up  into  sticks  about  a  foot  long.  By  and  by  he  took  five  or  six 
of  these  in  his  mouth,  and  started  to  swim  back  down  to  his  house. 
I  waited  until  he  was  within  about  ten  feet  of  it,  and  then  fired.  I 
knew  I  hit  him  by  the  way  he  jumped  and  let  go  of  the  sticks.  But 
he  dived  and  got  into  his  house. 

"  The  house  itself  doesn't  stand  in  very  deep  water,  but  between  it 
and  the  shore  the  stream  here  is  ten  or  fifteen  feet  deep.  I  saw  an 
old  pine  stump,  with  roots  on  it,  a  tremendous  big  one,  a  little  way 
up  stream,  lying  partly  in  the  water.  I  went  and  hauled  that  clear, 
and  as  it  floated  I  got  on  it,  and,  with  a  pole,  pushed  it  out  to  the 
beaver-house;  for  I  was  determined  to  have  the  beaver. 

"Then  I  tore  a  hole  through  the  sods,  sticks,  and  dried  grass,  on  top 
of  the  house.  The  beaver  was  down  inside,  not  quite  dead;  but 
while  I  was  reaching  in  to  haul  him  up,  the  old  stump  got  away  from 
me  and  floated  out  of  reach,  and  there  I  was." 

Luckily,  Karzy  had  his  gun  slung  across  his  shoulder,  and  was 
able  to  fire  those  signals  of  distress  which  we  had  heard. 

The  beaver  which  he  had  secured  was  a  fine  fat  one,  with  a  tail 
as  broad  as  a  mason's  trowel.  The  animal  weighed  nearly  forty 
pounds.  At  any  rate,  it  gave  us  a  pretty  good  tug  to  carry  it  down 
to  camp.  J;  -    ..     .  : 

The  beaver's  tail,  as  is  well  known,  was  considered  a  very  delicate 
morsel  among  the  Indians;  and  we  had  Otelne  prepare  this  one  next 


■ 


NUGE^NT'S  BkOTHlSK  MARC. 


187 


forenoon,  in  the  light  of  all  his  aboriginal  traditions.  But  it  had  an 
excessively  oily  flavor,  with  a  strong  suggestion  of  fishiness.^  It  is  one 
of  those  things  which  need  ah  educated  taste  to  appreciate,  and  we 
somehow  lacked  the  requisite  degree  of  education. 

Karzy's  adventure  iset  Nugent  recalling  incidents  of  his  own 
younger  days.  Among  others  he  told  of  his  brother  Marc's  tragic 
death  some  twelve  years  previous.  We  were  all' not  a  little  atfected 
by  his  story.  This  "brother  Mjirc"  must  have  been  a  brave  and  gen*- 
erous  boy.     I  subjoin  the  story  in  substance  as  Nugent  told  it. 


r 


.;  NUGENT'S  BROTHER  MARC. 

We  were  at  work  up  the  Attx  Lieves  that  spring  **  driving  "  logs.  The 
river  was  very  high ;  but  the  channel  is  a  rough  one  in  many  places  and 
often  broken  by  what  we  used  to  call  "centre  rocks."  These  "centre  rocks" 
gave  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble ;  for  the  lumber  lodged  and  jammed  against 
them,  often  blocking  the  whole  river.  Then,  too,  logs  shooting  down  the 
rapids  above  would  strike  these  upstanding  rocks  and  broom  their  ends,  till 
they  resembled  nothing  so  much  as  a  huge  paint  brush.  Pine  logs  of  free 
rift,  thirty  feet  long,  would  strike  half  on  and  go  in  halves  their  whole 
length,  so  great  was  the  strength  and  velocity  of  the  mighty  flood  of  down- 
driving  water.  Long  sticks  of  black  spruce,  grazing  the  smoother  boulders 
would  glance  up  from  their  slippery  surfaces,  and  fly  a  hundred  feet,  like  a 
shuttle  I 

The  "drivers"  especially  dreaded  a  jam  of  logs  on  the  rocks  above  Great 
Falls^  as  one  of  the  heavy  cataracts  was  called ;  for,  to  break  a  jam  here 
WPS  a  perilous  job,  always  attended  by  risk  of  life.  As  we  got  down  towards 
these  falls,  that  spring,  the  gangs  on  both  banks  hurried  on  to  see  the  lumbei: 
go  through.  '  •  ;   '''"'   '"" .  '    ' "  •'] 

I  well  recollect  the  sight,  and  how  wild  the  rapids  looked.  Ice  and  logs 
were  rolling  down  together,  with  the  white  jets  flying  up,  while  from  belowi 
came  the  thunder  of  the  falls.  Squads  of  drivers,  in  their  red  shirts,  were 
climbing  over  the  crags  on  both  sides,  shouting  to  each  other,  though 
scarcely  a  word  could  be  heard  above  the  roar  of  the  water,  and  the  loud 
cracking  of  the  descending  mass. 

As  yet,  there  was  no  jam  in  the  falls,  but  about  three  hundred  yards 


i88 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


above,  a  light  "  glut"  had  formed,  betwixt  the  shore  and  some  rocks  a  little 
ofT  from  the  left  bank.  It  grew  fast,  for  the  stream  above  was  full  of  logs» 
and  the  eddy  threw  them  in  upon  the  "  glut." 

"Now,  then,  who  breaks  this  glut?  —  and  quick  about  it!"  the  boss,  a 
man  named  Mullet,  sang  out. 

It  had  an  ugly  look,  as  it  rose  and  fell  with  the  mighty  rhythmic  motion 
of  the  surging  rapid.  A  great  clotted  mass  of  froth  and  foam  was  piling 
against  the  upper  side.     The  men  looked  at  it  and  then  at  each  other. 


BREAKING  A  GLUT. 


"  Come,  look  alive  there  !  "  shouted  Mullet.  "  Do  we  pay  men  to  moon  at 
a  glut?" 

At  that,  three  of  the  left-bank  fellows,  named  Glam  Bouchet,  Ceeph 
Bennet,  and  a  Tobique  Indian,  whom  the  men  called  "Molasses  Pete,"  made 
a  run  for  it. 

There  had  all  along  been  a  sort  of  rivalry  between  these  three  men. 
Each  had  the  name  of  being  a  fearless  and  expert  driver. 

Out  they  ran  over  the  heaving  logs,  jumping  from  one  to  another,  (pre- 
vented from  slipping  by  the  sharp  corks  in  their  boots),  and  began  prying 
with  their  "peevies"  (hooked  levers)  to  start  the  logs  off  the  rocks. 


NUGENT'S  BROTHER  MARC. 


189 


At  almost  the  same  moment  a  heavy  "clot"  of  logs  and  ice  came  driving 
in  against  the  glut.     The  shore  end  of  the  glut  began  to  slide  clear. 

A  shout  of  danger  arose.     "  Back,  cours-la  !     Run  in  ! " 

The  Indian  sprang  over  the  rolling  logs,  and,  slipping,  went  under  them. 
But  being  an  expert  swimmer,  he  kept  beneath  the  lumber,  and  was  pulled 
out  about  a  hundred  feet  below. 

But  Bouchet  and  Ceeph  Bennet  were  not  quick  enough.  A  great  gap 
opened  between  them  and  the  shore,  and  the  piled-up  mass  of  logs  on  which 
they  stood  swung  off  the  rocks,  and  went  whirling  down  stream. 

A  great  cry  arose,  "//s  sont  homines  perdu!"'  (they  are  lost  men). 
"They'll  go  through  the  falls  !" 

The  crazy  raft  on  which  they  stood  spun  round  and  was  swept  down  the 
,  rapid.  Once  it  was  dashed  up  near  the  right  bank  ;  then,  caught  by  a  coun- 
ter current,  it  surp  'd  off  into  mid-channel. 

A  few  rods  above  the  brink  of  the  cataract  it  struck  one  of  the  rocks,  the 
top  of  which  just  fretted  the  current.  A  part  of  the  logs,  breaking  out  from 
the  raft,  went  over,  while  the  rest  hung  wavering  against  the  rock. 

Bouchet  was  thrown  off  headlong  by  the  violence  of  the  shock,  but  he 
caugiil  by  a  projecting  stick  and  drew  himself  back.  Bennet  had  cast  him- 
self flat,  and  held  fast. 

There  they  clung.  Beneath  them  the  falls  roared  and  flung  up  wild  gusts 
of  mist.     The  abyss  yawned  at  their  feet. 

As  we  looked,  a  cake  of  ice  struck  the  svvaying  logs  and  dislodged  sev- 
eral of  them.     Not  more  than  eight  or  ten  logs  still  hung  on  the  rock. 

Precarious  footing  for  the  poor  fellows ! 

A  great  pine  stick  turning  end  over  end  in  the  rapid,  barely  missed  them 
as  it  fell  over.     They  seemed  to  stand  in  the  jaws  of  death. 

Old  man  Mullet,  though  a  hard  boss,  was  not  one  to  stand  still  and  see 
his  men  lost. 

"  Fetch  the  warps  !  "  he  shouted.     "  Man  the  bateaux  ! " 

One  of  the  warping  hawsers,  six  hundred  feet  long,  was  brought. 
Twenty,  men  stood  by  to  handle  it.  An  end  was  bent  to  the  stern  of  one  of 
our  two  bateaux,  which  followed  the  "drive"  down  the  river,  to  bring  on  our 
supplies  and  the  "  wangins  "  of  tools. 

The  empty  bateau  was  then  dropped  down  the  rapids,  towards  where  the 
men  stood  on  the  logs.  The  current  dashed  and  beat  it  about,  but  we  hoped 
it  might  reach  them. 

The  gang  holding  the  cable  paid  it  out  slowly.      The  boat  had  come 


190 


THE  KNOCK^ABOUT  CLUB. 


within  a  hundred  feet,  when  a  drift-tree  root,  rolling  in  the  flood,  bore  it 
down.  Instantly  it  filled  and  was  swamped.  The  warp  had  to  be  cut.  The 
wreck  went  over  the  falls. 

The  other  bateau  was  brought,  and  another  warp  attached  to  it. 

"It  must  be  manned  I "  exclaimed  Mullet.     "  It  s  their  last  chance  1 " 

The  men  could  hardly  be  blamed  for  holding  back. 

•*  I'll  go  myself,  then  !  "  cried  Mullet. 

My  brother  Marc  was  on  the  "  drive  "  with  me,  a  young  fellow,  not  more 
than  seventeen,  but  perhaps  the  most  expert  waterman  in  that  whole  section. 
It  was  he  who  took  our  bateaux  down  the  "  Weir  Carry  Rapids,"  over  seven 
miles  of  water,  hitherto  considered  too  rough  even  for  a  pirogee. 

When  Mullet  said  that,  Marc  seized  a  paddle  and  jumped  into  the  bateau. 
"Good  luck,  mates!"  he  called  out  to  us;  and  he  took  out  his  buck-hornr 
handled  knife  and  flung  it  to  me. 

I  have  sometimes  fancied  that  the  poor  boy  had  a  presentiment  of  his  fate. 

Under  Marc's  practised  hand,  the  bateau  was  dropped  from  eddy  to  eddy. 
And  he  would  have  reached  the  men  but  for  a  clot  of  drift  which,  suddenly 
fouling  the  bateau,  forced  it  into  the  "suck-hole"  at  the  foot  of  one  of  those 
dangerous  centre  rocks. 

Before  he  could  clear  the  hole,  a  forty-foot  pine  stick,  coming  down  with 
the  swiftness  of  an  arrow,  struck  the  upper  side  of  a  rock,  and,  ending  over, 
fell  into  the  bateau,  crushing  it  like  pasteboard. 

The  shore  end  of  the  warp,  bent  to  a  tree,  straightened  under  the  shock, 
and  the  men  holding  it  were  "  flipped  "  aside  like  bobbins.  We  saw  Marc 
whirled  amid  the  foam,  clinging  to  the  crushed  bateau,  but  were  powerless  to 
help  him.  .  A  moment  more  and  he  was  gone,^—  gone  into  the  falls  ! 

He  was  a  brave  lad,  and  died  like  one. 

But  his  bold  effort  to  save  his  comrades  was  not,  as  we  at  first  feared,  a 
fruitless  one. 

The  warp,  to  which  still  a  fragment  of  the  crushed  bateau  hung,  floated 
on  the  current,  and  was  dashed  up  near  the  logs  on  which  the  poor  fellows 
were  clinging.  Ceeph  caught  it,. and  at  once  made  it  fast  to  a  log.  We 
hauled  them  out,  clinging  with  arms  and  legs  to  the  log,  breathless  and  half- 
strangled. 

It  required  the  united  strength  of  more  than  twenty  men  to  pull  the  log 
back  through  the  current. 

Poor  Marc's  name  was  cut  in  a  spruce  standing  close  over  the  falls.  I 
suppose  th^t  is  the  only  .monument  the  lad  will  have.:  ,,-•-' 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


A   ROUGH   AND   TUMBLE    OTTER   HUNT.  . 

HAT  large  stony  brook  proved  one  ol'  the  gameyest 
places  which  we  found  on  our  tour.  Tuladi  by  the 
hundred  weight  could  be  caught  there  in  the  deep 
pools.  These  fish  run  up  into  the  stream  from  the 
lake,  probably,  since  they  are  held  to  be  a  kind  of 
lake  trout.  The  morning  after  Karzy's  beaver  hunt 
all  hands  set  off  on  an  exploring  trip  to  see  what  the 
outlook  for  beaver  was,  farther  up  the  stream. 
Otelne,  who  had  returned  from  a  trip  by  canoe  down  to  Pointe  Blcuc 
Mission,  on  Lake  St.  John,  the  previous  afternoon,  went  with  us. 
This  trip  out  to  the  settlement  was  avowedly  to  fetch  up  sugar  and 
get  a  new  spring  put  in  one  of  the  guns,  but  really  to  procure  a  few 
plugs  of  tobacco.  Nugent  and  he  had  run  short;  their  pipes  were 
empty,  and  their  peace  of  mind  was  gone.  What  slaves  tobacco 
makes  of  men  I  A  great  deal  of  tobacco  is  raised  in  Canada.  We 
saw  the  iveed  growing  rankly  in  a  little  garden  patch  at  Chicoutimi  I 
It  used  to  be  the  opinion  that  tobacco  would  not  grow  farther  north 
than  Connecticut;  but  1  should  not  now  be  surprised  to  hear  that  it 
was  grown  and  cured  at  Upernavik  in  Greenland.  This  which 
Otelne  procured  was  raised  in  Canada,  near  Quebec. 

Ovei-burdened,  probably,  with  the  cash  we  had  paid  him,  Otelne 
had  made  another  purchase,  a  canine  one.  When  he  first  hove  in 
sight,  paddling  up  the  lake,  we  thought  he  had  a  companion,  some 
other  Indian,  perhaps,  with  him;  for  the  dog  sat  up  erect  in  the  stern 
of  the  canoe.     It  was  a  wiry,  shaggy,  yellow  and  black  cur,  with  a 


X93 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


curling  bush  tail,  and  a  remarkably  peaked  nose.  Otelne  introduced 
him  to  us  as  Monsieur  Krooby  un  ir^s  bon  chien. 

Kroob  set  off  with  us,  hunting,  next  morning;  but  his  career  was 
a  brief  one,  as  will  be  related  further  on. 

When  we  reached  the  place  where  we  had  rescued  Karzy  the 
night  before,  all  of  the  party  except  Rike  and  Nugent  stopped  to 
examine  the  beaver-house  there;  they  went  on  up  the  brook  and  we 
did  not  overtake  them  for  an  hour.     When  at  length  we  did  come  up 


-M^, 


•  ^v^- 


-*^v^3*^ 


._x..../^. 


''^^^?l^^. 


UP  THE  BROOK. 


with  them,  it  was  at  a  great  rick  of  drift-stuff  which  blocked  up  the 
entire  channel,  and  through  which  the  waters  made  their  way  with  a 
deep,  murmurous,  gurgling  noise,  which  we  heard  at  some  distance 
below.  It  was  at  a  point  between  high,  ledgy  banks;  and  a  perfectly 
enormous  quantity  of  logs,  tree-tops  and  stumps  had  lodged  one 
upon  another  to  the  height  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  extending 
back   up  stream  for   several   hundred  yards.     As  we  came  up  the 


A  ROUGH  AND   TUMBLE  OTTER  HUNT. 


193 


channel  we  espied  Rike  stinding  high  up  on  the  drift-pile  with  a 
long  pole  in  his  h<ind;  but  instead  of  fishing,  he  appeared  to  be 
prodding  at  something  down  amongst  the  logs. 

"What's  there  I  "  Moses  O.  hailed. 

"Game!"  was  the  stimulating  response,  above  the  roar  of  the 
brook.     "Don't  know  what  it  is.     Can  hear  its  teeth  grit! " 

We  clambered  out  on  the  rick.  Rike  was  punching  away  indus- 
triously at  something.  Nugent  was  ashore  in  the  bushes  cutting  a 
longer  pole  with  his  hatchet.  , 

"  I  know  there's  something  down  there,"  Rike  explained,  "for  I  saw 
the  tuladi  jumping  in  the  pool  off  here.  So  I  cut  a  pole  and  began 
to  fish,  and  in  a  minute  caught  one.  I  hauled  it  out,  but  it  tumbled 
off  my  hook  and  fell  .down  amongst  the  old  logs  here.  While  I  was 
looking  for  it  I  heard  teeth  grit.     Some  creature  had  got  it  and  was 


« 


the 


eatmg  it. 

We  climbed  and  peeped  about  the  rick  for  some  minutes.  Nugent 
came  with  his  pole.  Otelne  and  his  new  chien  joined  in  the  quest. 
From  the  general  appearance  of  the  place  and  from  the  odor,  we 
concluded  that  we  had  stumbled  on  a  burrow  of  otters,  in  a  strong 
place,  too. 

"But  they've  got  to  come  out  of  there! "  exclaimed  Rike,  whom 
the  near  presence  of  game  always  worked  up  to  fever. 

Then  followed  a  great  deal  of  peeping  through  crevices  and 
gaps  between  the  logs.  At  last  Nugent  got  at  them  with  his  long 
pole.  The  animals  snapped  and  bit  at  the  end  of  it.  But  they  ran  still 
farther  back  under  the  rick.  There  were  great  dark  gaps  and  water- 
holes  beneath  it.  At  length,  prodding  deep  down,  they  cornered  the 
web-footed  aquatics  up  against  the  rocks  on  the  left  bank.  But  here 
the  poles  failed  to  touch  them;  and  we  worked  an  hour,  I  should 
think,  cutting  off  logs  and  hauling  out  stuff  to  make  an  opening  down 
to  them.  Harold  and  Moses  O.  improvised  a  huge  "  pry,"  or  lever, 
nearly  twenty  feet  long,  with  which  they  did  great  execution,  heaving 


194 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUii. 


aside  the  lo^s  and  old  wet  stumps.  A  great,  black,  sopping,  mouldy 
hole  was  opened  away  down  to  the  shelving  rocks. 

"Where's  Kroohf'  cried  Rike.  "Now  for  your  new  chien^ 
Otelne!  Here's  a  chance  to  prove  his  grit.  Send  him  in  there.  Here, 
Kroob,  Kroob,  KroobV 

Kroob  came  up,  with  the  curl  out  of  his  tail,  but  he  looked  ready 
for  business.  Otelne  showed  him  the  hole.  He  snuiVed  a  moment, 
then  began  to  bark. 

"Take  hold  of  them!     Fetch  them  out!  "  Rike  exhorted  him. 

"  S''vat  mi  crishV  Otelne  cried. 

With  that  in  went  Kroob.,  straight  down  under  the  rock  for  the 
otters,  and  in  a  moment  there  was  a  pow-wow  down  there  which 
beat  all  description.  They  clinched  and  snarled,  yelled  and  bumped. 
We  could  hear  their  heads  striking  the  logs  and  rocks  like  hammers! 

"They'll  kill  him,"  exclaimed  Karzy. 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  the  words,  when  out  tumbled  Kroob  with 
two  otters  bringing  to  him.  One  let  go,  on  coming  out  to  the  light, 
and  darted  back,  but  the  other  hung  on.  Otter  and  dog  rolled  over 
the  logs. 

Rike  struck  with  his  pole  and  missed  j  Moses  O.  flung  the  hatchet 
and  hit  the  dog. 

Dog  and  web-foot  rolled  over  each  other  out  betwixt  the  logs 
and  fell  into  the  pool  below.  It  was  a  deep  hole.  Down  they  went 
to  the  bottom,  I  imagine.  We  cocked  our  guns  and  stood  waiting 
for  them  to  rise;  and  after  a  long  while  the  otter  did  rise.  As  soon 
as  we  made  sure  it  was  the  otter.  Stein,  Harold,  Rike  and  Nugent, 
all  four,  fired  and  shot  the  animal  dead.  Then  we  stood  waiting  for 
the  dog  to  rise,  but  saw  nothing  of  him  for  some  time.  At  last 
Karzy  espied  him  floating  out  at  the  foot  of  the  pool  below.  Otelne 
ran  down  and  around  to  pull  him  out.  But  the  dog  was  drowned. 
No  amount  of  rolling  and  shaking  on  Otelne's  part  could  make  any- 
thing but  a  drowned  dog  of  him;  he  was  un  chien  perdu.     Nugent 


juldy 

:hien^ 
Here, 

ready 
iment, 

n. 

or  the 
which 
imped, 
imersi 

b  with 
[  light, 
d  over 

latchet 

le  logs 
y^  went 
vaiting 
s  soon 
ugent, 
ing  for 
\t  last 
Otelne 
Dwned. 
e  any- 
^ugent 


OTTERS  FISHING. 


1  I 

i 


wmmmm 


RIKE  AND   THE   TURTLE- 


197 


conjectured  that  the  otter  had  held  him  down  on  the  bottom  till  the 
poor  brute  was  strangled. 

For  my  own  part,  I  think  poor  Kroob  had  anything  but  fair  play; 
as  I  said  at  the  outset,  his  career  with  us  was  a  short  one. 

After  expressing  proper  condolence  to  Otelne  we  again  turned 
our  attention  to  the  otters;  but  they  were  difficult  to  get  at.  At 
I  least  two  hours  more  were  spent  cutting  and  hacking,  and  we  pried 

mm  out  four  more  big  logs.  Nugent,  Rike,  and  Otelne  were  then  able  to 
get  down  to  the  bed  of  the  stream,  beside  the  shelving  rocks,  beneath 
which  the  burrow  ran.  The  rest  of  the  party  got  partly  down  and 
stood  ready  with  poles  and  guns. 

It  was  a  dark,  nasty  hole.  The  mud  and  slime  were  knee  deep, 
and  mixed  lip  with  chunks  of  logs  and  roots.  We  could  now  just 
see  the  otters  retreating  as  far  back  as  they  could  under  the  slippery 
green  rocks.  It  was  a  pokerish  place.  Nugent's  plan  was  now  to 
shoot  the  otters,  and  then  haul  them  out  with  a  pole.  Rike,  already 
muddied  from  head  to  heels,  crawled  round  to  one  side  to  get  a  better 
view  of  them,  and  was  poking  along  in  the  mire  when  he  suddenly 
screeched  and  began  floundering  and  hopping  frantically. 

"Help I  help!  a  big  snake ^s  got  me!"  he  yelled,  and  came  tum- 
bling out  over. the  logs.  Nugent  and  Otelne  pulled  him  up  to  the 
light,  when  an  object  as  large  as  a  big  milk-pan  was  seen  hanging  to 
Rike's  foot. 

It  was  a  big  mud-turtle. 

The  old  chap  had  a  grip  on  Rike's  boot  toe  and  there  he  hung. 
Rike  kicked  and  slung  him  about,  but  could  not  shake  him  ofT. 
Otelne  paid  on  to  the  reptile's  shell  with  a  large  club,  Rike  twisting 
and  yelling,  for  the  turtle's  snake-like  head  gripped  his  toes  all  the 
harder  for  the  beating. 

"  Pass  the  hatchet,"  shouted  Nugent.  "  Let  me  cut  his  black  head 
oflf!'* 

It  took  several  strokes  to  do  it,  and  even  then,  the  head  wouldn't 


4 


198 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


let  go.  Meantime  the  rest  of  the  turtle  waddled  off.  Down  plumped 
Rike  on  a  log  and  hauled  off  his  boot  and  stocking.  The  turtle's  teeth 
had  not  cut  through  the  leather,  but  the  ball  of  his  great  toe  had  fairly 
burst  open,  so  tightly  had  the  turtle  gripped  it. 

That  turtle  must  have  weighed  from  thirty  to  forty  poun  Is.  It  was 
an  old  settler,  no  doubt  from  seventy-five  to  a  hundred  years  old. 

Thinking  it  would  be  better  to  keep  out  of  that  mud  if  it  contained 
such  inhabitants,  we  now  went  farther  up  on  the  drift-rick  and  cleared 
away  a  new  opening  down  to  the  bed  of  the  stream.  By  so  doing  we 
hoped  to  head  them  off  from  running  farther  back  into  the  rick.  This 
new  hole  let  more  light  down  under  the  rocks.  Stein,  Harold,  and 
Karzy  were  stationed  with  their  guns  down  in  the  lower  hole. 

We'd  no  sooner  begun  to  punch  with  our  poles  in  the  upper  hole, 
than  two  of  the  otters  made  a  break  to  get  down  past  the  boys  into  the 
pool.  They  all  three  fired,  one  after  the  other,  bang,  bang!  One 
otter  was  shot,  but  the  other  dived  into  the  pool  and  escaped  to  the 
opposite  side  under  the  high  bank. 

We  all  climbed  out  to  see  what  was  shot.  It  was  a  fine,  great 
otter.  They'd  put  three  bullets  through  him.  By  mistake  they  had 
all  fired  at  the  same  one.  This  otter  had  a  tail  as  large  round  as  a 
man's  arm,  solid  meat  too. 

'*  Go  back,  go  back  to  your  places,"  Nugent  shouted.  "  There's 
more  of  'em.     Load  up  again." 

He  and  Otelne  began  punching  again;  but  for  a  while  nothing 
stirred.  Harold  thought  there  were  no  more  otters  there.  But  in 
a  few  inmutes  three  others  ran  out  all  together,  heading  down  for 
the  pool. 

A  tremendous  fusillade  in  the  lower  hole  was  our  first  notice  that 
we  had  started  them  out.  Only  one  of  the  three  was  shot,  however; 
and  they  did  pretty  well  to  hit  that  one  even,  for  the  otters  darted  out 
quick  as  light.  Tl  is  last  one  was  larger  even  than  the  second.  It 
was  a  beautiful,  great,  sleek,  wine-brown  animal. 


li 


EXCITING  SPORT. 


199 


One  of  the  other  two  swam  across  the  stream  and  got  under  the 
bank  a  little  below  where  the  other  had  taken  refuge.  The  other, 
swimming  the  pool,  ran  under  another  great  heap  of  drift  as  large  as 
a  small  house,  which  lay  piled  on  a  rocky  bar  ten  or  twelve  rods 
bjlow. 

We  went  back  to  our  places,  but  failed  to  punch  out  any  more. 
Those  six  were  probably  all  there  were. 

"Now  for  the  one  in  the  lower  drift-pile,"  exclaimed  Rike;  and 
we  all  ran  down  thrjre. 

The  otter  had  run  to  a  strong  place.  It  would  have  been  wellnigh 
impossible  to  break  up  the  pile,  composed,  as  it  was,  of  large  logs  and 
stumps.     But  it  was  tolerably  dry,  and  we  set  it  on  fire. 

Harold  and  Rike  posted  themselves  on  the  lower  side  of  the  bon- 
fire. The  rest  of  us  guarded  the  upper  side.  The  pile  burned  some 
minutes  and  no  otter  stirred.  But  when  the  live  coals  began  to  drop 
upon  him,  he  made  a  dive  for  the  water. 

Rike  missed  him  with  his  first  barrel,  and  the  otter  got  into  t''e 
stream.  Then  he  and  Harold  fired  together,  and  one  or  the  other  of 
them  hit  the  animal,  killing  him  almost  instantl3\ 

This  latter  was  just  a  fair-sized  otter. 

Crossing  the  brook,  we  punched  for  the  two  that  had  gone  under 
the  bank,  but  could  not  start  them  out,  nor  discover  where  they  were 
hidden. 

So  we  got  only  those  four,  but  two  of  them,  Nugent  said,  were  the 
largest  otters  he  had  ever  seen. 

It  took  us  all  the  balance  of  the  afternoon  to  cleanse  ourselves  and 
wash  and  dry  our  clothes;  for,  though  exciting  sport,  it  had  been  one 
of  the  dirtiest  jobs  imaginable;  we  were  covered  with  mud  and  slime 
from  head  to  heels. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE  WOODS-DEMON. 

ETURNING  after  our  hunt  that  afternoon,  we  passed 
a  deserted  lumberman's  camp,  half  hidden  in  the 
black,  rank  firs  which  had  sprung  up  in  the  clearing 
about  it. 

"That  ere's  the  old  haunted  camp,"  Nugent  re- 
marked. 

"  O,  haunted  is  it  ?  "  said  Rike.  "  What's  it  haunted 
with,  bear-spooks  ?  " 
Nugent  affirmed  that  the  place  was  commonly  reported  by  woods- 
men to  be  haunted  by  the  spirit  of  a  strange  unhuman  creature  which 
had  years  before  been  killed  there  by  a  logger  crew  in  which  Nugent 
himself  had  worked.  That  evening  he  told  the  story.  I  give  it  in 
substance,  as  setting  forth  a  strange,  yet  possible,  physiological  fact. 


THE  HAUNTED  LOGGING-CAMP. 

NUGENT'S   STORY. 

There  were  seventeen  "  choppers  "  and  four  teamsters,  besides  the  fore- 
man and  cook,  in  our  crew  that  winter  at  the  camp  over  here  —  twenty-three 
men  in  all,  partly  French,  and  more  than  half  of  them  Catholics. 

In  February,  towards  the  last  of  the  month,  after  they  had  been  in  the 
woods  thirteen  we^jks,  there  came  on  at  night  one  of  those  fearful  northeast 
snow-storms  such  as  are  known  only  in  British  America  and  Siberia. 
Overhead  the  wind  roared  and  shook  the  tree  tops,  and  the  snow,  fine  as 
meal,  was  sifted  blindingly  down  through  the  frozen  boughs. 


THE  HAUNTED  LOGGING-CAMP. 


20I 


So  full  was  the  air  of  snow  that  the  voices  of  the  men  seemed  muffled  as 
they  came  in  from  their  work.  In  an  hour  and  a  half  a  foot  of  snow  had 
fallen,  and  the  old  "  loggers  "  predicted  a  fall  of  four  feet  by  morning. 

But,  gathered  before  the  fire  in  their  warm  log  camp,  saluted  by  the  savor 
of  a  bountiful  supper,  the  hardy  fellows  cared  little  for  the  terrors  of  the 
storm  outside.  '  '^._  v 


A  LOGGER'S  CAMP. 


Supper  was  nearly  ready,  and  Lotte,  the  cook,  had  taken  up  the  three- 
gallon  teapot  to  fill,  when  he  discovered  that  the  supply  of  tea  was  out.  If 
there  was  any  tea  drank  that  night,  it  would  be  necessary  for  some  one  to  go 
down  to  the  wangin,  on  the  river  bank,  half  a  mile  below. 

The  wangin,  or  storehouse,  was  a  strong  structure  of  heavy  logs,  wherein 


202 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


was  kept  the  winter  supply  of  flour,  pork,  sugar,  molasses,  etc.,  which  had 
been  poled  up  the  river  in  bateaux  before  the  ice  had  formed. 

Leading  down  to  it  from  the  camp  there  was  a  road  cut  through  the 
timber.  The  men,  however,  generally  avoided  going  there  after  dark. 
There  were  wolves  about,  and  the  louf  cerviers  of  t-iat  secdon  are  remarkably 
large  and  fierce. 

Bidding  them  wait  patiently  a  little  while,  Lotte  began  to  muffle  himself 
for  the  tramp,  when  one  of  the  French  boys,  a  youngster  of  twenty,  named 
Marc  Lizotte,  offered  to  go  in  his  place.  Lotte  very  thankfully  handed  him 
the  key  and  a  basket,  and  Marc  set  off  at  a  run  through  the  snow. 

He  had  been  gone  scarcely  ten  minutes,  when  terrified  shouts  startled 
the  camp. 

The  men  rushed  to  the  door.  Hardly  had  they  opened  it,  when  Lizotte 
leaped  in  amongst  them,  shouting,  — 

"  Fra^  la  ^ortc !  Jrap  la  forte  !  pour  Dieu  !  " 

One  or  two  of  the  men  declared  that  they  heard  a  hoarse  cough  at  the 
same  moment,  close  at  hand  ;  but  it  might  have  been  the  wind. 

They  saw  nothing,  and  all  cried  out,  "What  is  it?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  panted  Marc,  "  ye  crois  que  dest  le  diahle  lui-meme!  " 

A  laugh  followed  this  honest  avowal. 

The  boy  said  that  he  had  come  within  a  few  rods  of  the  wangin,  when, 
distinctly  above  the  roar  of  the  storm,  he  heard  heavy  blows,  as  of  some  one 
pounding  on  the  door  with  an  axe  or  a  club.  He  stopped  short,  and,  peering 
sharply  through  the  darkness,  made  out  the  form  of  a  man,  as  he  at  first 
thought,  breaking  in  at  the  door. 

He  watched  a  moment  ;  then  called  out  to  know  what  he  was  doing 
there.  Instantly  the  creature  turned,  uttered  a  most  unearthly  cry,  and 
sprang  after  him  with  uplifted  club.     Marc  ran  for  his  life. 

He  said  that  the  ** tison  d'en/er^''  as  he  called  it,  had  chased  him  to  the 
very  door  of  the  camp,  and  at  one  time  was  almost  at  his  heels. 

Many  of  the  men  ridiculed  the  whole  story.  "  Marc  got  scared,"  they 
said.  Others  thought  that  it  might  have  been  a  thief,  or  some  wandering 
hunter,  possibly  an  Indian,  who  had  tried  to  break  into  the  wangin. 

Three  or  four  were  for  going  down,  but  the  "boss"  said  that  nobody 
could  break  through  the  log  door,  even  with  an  axe ;  and  as  it  was  storming 
fiercely,  none  cared  to  make  the  trip  in  the  snow  and  darkness. 

Early  next  morning,  three  of  us  on  snow-shoes  set  off  to  get  tea  and  look 
for  traces  of  "  Marc's  bugbear."    We  found  them  easily  enough. 


THE  HAUNTED  LOGGING-CAMP. 


203 


had 


The  wangin  door  was  broken  open,  the  great  bolt  wrenched  from  its 
socket,  and  the  huge  log  door-post  split  and  splintered.  The  snow  had 
drifted  in. 

It  was  not  without  many  cautious  glances  that  we  ventured  to  enter. 
The  room  was  empty.  So  far  as  we  could  discover,  nothing  of  value  had 
been  stolen.  From  one  of  the  open  barrels  of  pork  a  chunk  had  been  taken 
out,  gnawed,  and  the  remnant  thrown  into  the  snow.     That  was  all. 

The  snow  had  covered  the  tracks,  both  Marc's  and  the  creature's.  We 
should  have  believed  it  the  work  of  some  wild  beast,  but  from  the  fact  that 
no  wild  beast  could  have  broken  in  that  door. 

This  happened  on  Tuesday.  The  next  Sunday  two  of  the  choppers, 
named  Leverett  and  Corbain,  went  out  to  hunt  a  caribou,  the  tracks  of  which 
we  had  lately  seen  in  the  snow  near  where  we  had  been  felling  timber. 
About  three  in  the  afternoon  they  came  back  and  told  a  curious  story. 

They  had  come  upon  the  caribou  not  an  hour  after  starting  out ;  but  it  had 
run  off  through  the  snow,  and  they  had  to  follow  it  an  hour  or  two  before 
getting  near  enough  to  shoot  at  it  with  the  old  musket  they  had  carried  from 
the  camp. 

Finally  they  fired,  and  wounded  the  animal  so  severely  that  after  run- 
ning a  little  way  it  fell  in  the  snow.     They  had  no  difficulty  in  killing  it. 

Leverett  then  began  to  skin  and  cut  up  the  carcass,  with  a  view  to  take 
the  best  portions  of  the  meat  back  to  camp.  While  thus  engaged,  they 
heard  a  trampling  of  the  snow,  and  looking  up,  saw  a  ^* gianV  —  so  Corbain 
called  it  —  coming  towards  them,  snuffling  horribly  and  brandishing  a  great 
bludgeon. 

Leverett  dropped  his  knife  (they  had  not  stopped  to  reload  the  old  mus- 
ket) and  both  he  and  Corbain  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could. 

They  described  the  creature  as  a  monster,  a  giant  bare-headed  and  bare- 
leggf^d,  with  matted  hair,  but  wearing,  they  thought,  the  skin  of  a  bear  about 
its  shoulders  and  body.  Its  arms  were  bare,  brown  and  hairy,  so  also  was 
its  face,  and  the  hair  on  its  head  was  thickly  matted  and  stood  up  in  a  fright- 
ful tuft. 

We  could  scarcely  believe  so  queer  a  story ;  several  of  the  men  openly 
ridiculed  it.  Eight  or  nine  took  their  axes  and  followed  Leverett  and  Cor- 
bain back  to  where  they  had  shot  the  caribou. 

They  easily  found  the  spot ;  but  the  carcass  of  the  caribou  had  been 
dragged  away.  They  followed  the  trail  in  the  snow  for  a  mile  or  two,  and 
then,  as  night  was  coming  on,  turned  back. 


204 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Of  course  there  was  plenty  of  talk  and  surmise.  The  French  boys  would 
hardly  stir  out  of  camp  alone,  and  the  Province  men  teased  them  continually. 

A  few  nights  after,  the  wangin  was  broken  into  again.  The  **  boss  "  had 
repaired  the  damage  done  the  door  by  the  former  attack,  and  strengthened  it 
by  two  new  bars  of  green  ash,  a  foot  in  width  and  four  inches  thick.  This 
time  the  hinges  were  torn  out  of  the  post,  and  the  door  wrenched  outward, 
leaving  the  bars  intact. 

But,  as  before,  only  a  few  chunks  of  pork  were  missing.  It  was  plain 
to  anybody  that  it  must  have  taken  prodigious  strength  to  pull  out  the  hinge 
irons,  fastened  and  clinched  as  they  were  into  the  door  post. 

The  men  began  to  look  serious,  and  to  talk  less  about  it. 

That  day  four  of  us  Province  men  agreed  to  go  to  the  wangin,  and  watch 
for  the  man,  creature,  or  whatever  it  was.     The  boss  was  willing. 

We  quit  work  earl3s  got  our  supper,  and  went  down  to  the  wangin  a  little 
after  sunset.  We  took  our  axes  and  the  old  gun,  which  we  used  to  shoot 
game  with,  loaded  with  slugs. 

Going  inside,  we  pulled  the  door  together,  and  drove  the  hinge-irons  back 
into  the  post,  and  then  barricaded  it  on  the  inside  with  barrels  of  flour. 
There  was  a  number  of  bales  of  hay  in  the  wangin.  We  cut  open  one  of 
these,  and  piling  the  hay  against  the  front  side,  lay  down  on  it,  first  pulling 
the  moss  out  from  between  the  logs,  so  that  we  could  look  out. 

It  was  a  still,  clear  night  with  a  new  moon,  which  soon  set  behind  the 
tree-tops,  leaving  it  dim,  yet  not  very  dark.  The  names  of  the  three  men 
with  me  were  Hanley,  Carnise  and  Foley. 

The  evening  passed  tediously  enough,  for  it  was  pretty  cold  lying  there 
with  no  fire.  Nothing  stirred  about  the  wangin  till  after  eleven  o'clock,  when 
I  heard  steps  in  the  snow  at  some  distance. 

I  whispered  to  my  mates,  and  we  listened  intently.  The  steps  came 
nearer.  We  peered  out  between  the  cracks,  but  it  was  too  dark  to  discern 
objects  oflf  in  the  woods. 

A  moment  later  Foley  muttered  under  his  breath,  "There  he  is !  "  and 
then  I  saw  a  dark,  indistinct  figure,  not  twenty  yards  from  the  wangin. 
For  some  moments  it  stood  there  motionless,  then  slowly  came  up  to  the 
door.  ' 

It  seemed  to  be  the  form  of  a  very  large  man,  but  even  in  the  darkness 
we  perceived  that  he  was  half  naked,  and  of  strange  mien. 

We  noiselessly  got  on  our  feet,  grasping  our  axes,  Carnise  holding  the 
gun.     I  confess  to  have  been  a  little  scared. 


THE  HAUNTED  LOCGING-CAMP. 


205 


There  was  a  sound  as  of  nails  on  the  door,  then  a  heavy  push  against  it, 
which  made  it  crack  and  the  barrels  rattle. 

"Who's  there?"  shouted  Hanley. 

For  a  reply  there  was  a  kind  of  snort,  followed  by  a  tremendous  blow 
from  some  heavy  instrument.  At  the  same  instant  there  came  a  blaze  of  fire 
and  a  stunning  report. 


CAPES  TRINIXy  AND   ETERNITY. 


The  old  gun  had  gone  off  in  Carnise's  hands.  He  was  holding  it  cocked 
and  it  went  off  itself —  he  said. 

As  soon  as  we  recovered  from  our  flurry,  I  looked  out  through  the  cracks, 
but  could  see  nothing  of  our  disturber ;  and  after  looking  and  waiting  an  hour 
or  more,  we  ventured  out  and  went  up  to  the  camp,  for  it  had  grown  unbear- 
ably cold. 


206 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Our  story  re-excited  tlie  Fr.ich  boys  very  much. 

Two  nights  after,  one  of  them  saw,  or  fancied  he  saw,  the  creature  steal- 
ing up  behind  him  as  he  ciimu  in  from  the  ox-camp,  a  few  rods  back  of  our 
shanty.     Then  their  terrors  took  voice. 

They  were  going  to  leave  and  get  out  of  that  place.  Parhleu  !  'twas 
the  devil  himself. 

The  foreman,  Lamson,  was  used  to  the  French. 

"It  may  be  the  devil,"  he  said,  and  started  four  of  them  off  to  the  settle- 
ment after  a  priest.     He  knew  that  the  presence  of  a  priest  was  the  only  way 


THE  WILD  MAN. 

to  keep  the  gang  from  bolting.  When  once  these  French  Catholics  are 
scared,  nothing  can  quiet  them  but  a  priest. 

The  night  after  the  priest  was  sent  for,  we  were  roused  up,  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  by  a  tremendous  uproar  at  the  ox-camp.  There  was 
a  great  racket,  and  the  oxen  were  bellowing  terribly. 

"  Some  of  them  are  loose  and  goring  the  others,"  Lamson  exclaimed,  and 
half  a  dozen  of  us  turned  out  to  quiet  the  hubbub. 

Foley  was  ahead.  The  great  door  of  the  ox-camp  wps  open.  This  cir- 
cumstance of  itself  ought  to  have  warned  us,  but  we  were  too  stupid  with 
sleep  to  reflect. 

As  Foley  entered  the  doorway,  something  struck  him  on  the  head  and 


THE  HAUNTED  LOGGING-CAMP. 


207 


knocked  him  down,  senseless.      A  blow  was  also  iiimed  at  Corbain,  but  he 
jumped  aside,  and  we  all  ran  back  to  the  shanty  for  our  lives. 

Lamson  caught  up  the  gun.     The  rest  took  their  axes  and  rushed  out. 

We  found  Foley  lying  in  the  snow.  He  was  beginning  to  stir  a  little. 
There  was  a  fearful  cut  on  his  head,  but  whatever  had  struck  him  was  gone. 

The  ox-camp  contained  nothing  but  the  oxen. 

One  of  them  was  bleeding  from  his  nose  profusely,  and  kept  shaking  his 
head  as  if  half  stunned  by  blows.  That  same  night  the  wangin  was  again 
broken  ipto  and  more  pork  taken. 

Nothing  now  but  the  expected  arrival  of  the  priest  kept  the  'Trenchers " 
from  stampeding. 

The  Province  men  kept  quiet.     They  did  not  know  what  to  say  or  think. 

Lamson  spent  the  forenoon,  gun  in  hand,  looking  about  in  the  woods  for 
signs  and  tracks.  There  had  no  snow  fallen  for  over  a  week.  Our  own 
tracks  and  those  of  the  teams  had  trodden  the  snow  hard  about  tht;  camp ; 
but  out  in  the  woods  Lamson  found  in  many  places  the  print  of  a  large 
moccasined  foot.  It  left  no  heel  print.  The  boots  and  moccasins  worn  by  the 
men  had  raised  heels. 

That  afternoon  the  boss  called  Carnise  and  myself  off  from  work  an 
hour  or  more  before  sunset. 

"  I  want  you  two  men  to  go  down  to  the  wangin  with  me,"  he  said. 

We  went  to  the  shanty,  and  then  set  off  for  the  wangin,  Lamson  taking 
the  gun. 

"  I'll  know  whether  this  critter  is  flesh  and  blood  or  not,"  he  said,  as  we 
went  down.  "I'm  going  to  set  a  spring-gun  for  him.  It  doesn't  act  like  a 
man;  but  if  it  isn't  a  man,  what  can  it  be?  At  any  rate,  he's  a  murderous 
wretch.     Devil  or  not,  I'm  going  to  try  a  charge  of  slugs  on  him." 

We  helped  Lamson  set  the  gun  inside  the  wangin,  with  a  line  running 
from  the  trigger  across  the  doorway,  and  the  muzzle  pointed  at  about  breast 
height  of  a  person  entering  the  door.  The  door  itself  we  left  just  as  it  had 
been  found  that  morning,  wrenched  outward  and  forced  back  on  the  outside. 

Lamson  told  the  men  at  supper  what  we  had  done,  and  bade  them  keep 
away  from  the  wangin.     Foley  was  getting  better  of  his  wound. 

So  much  had  the  setting  of  the  gun  and  the  attendant  circumstances  ex- 
cited me,  that  I  did  not  go  to  sleep  that  night,  but  lay  thinking  and  listening. 

The  night  wore  on.  It  was  not  till  after  two  in  the  morning  that  the  gun 
was  sprung.  Its  dull,  heavy  report  startled  me,  and  set  me  trembling  all 
over. 


2o8 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


All  the  men  were  expecting  it,  and  seemed  to  be  but  half  asleep.  In  a 
moment  everybody  was  astir.     Lamson  went  to  the  door. 

"  We've  fetched  him  !  "  he  explained  ;  and,  on  going  out,  we  could  plainly 
hear  cries,  as  of  one  in  pain  and  rage. 

The  French  boys  refused  to  stir  out  of  the  shanty ;  but  the  most  of  the 
Province  men  set  off  with  Lamson,  who  had  lighted  a  lantern. 

The  cries  burst  out  at  intervals  as  we  hurried  down  the  wangin  path. 

It  was  with  strange  feelings  that  we  approached  the  place.  By  the  light 
of  the  lantern  we  saw  the  brown,  hairy  body  of  a  man,  half  covered  with  a 
bear  hide,  lying  just  outside  the  door.  There  had  been  a  desperate  death- 
struggle. 

The  five  slugs  with  which  Lamson  had  charged  the  gun  had  pierced 
him  through  and  through.  But  he  died  only  after  many  struggles  and 
outcries. 

I  had  never  imagined  anything  like  the  ferocious  expression  of  the  face. 
The  skin  of  the  body  was  very  brown,  and  much  covered  with  hair.  The 
legs,  especially,  were  almost  shaggy.  The  feet  were  tied  up  each  in  the 
hide  of  a  lynx,  and  the  bear  hide  hung  from  his  shoulders,  fastened  with  a 
thick  thong  around  the  neck.     There  was  no  other  clothing. 

Both  arms  and  legs  were  rough,  dirty,  ahnost  horny.  The  face  was 
repulsive,  and  the  hair  matted.  Though  lean,  the  body  must  have  weighed 
fully  two  hundred  pounds. 

There  was  every  indication  of  great  physical  strength,  —  instances  of 
which  we  had  certainly  seen.  Near  by  lay  a  large,  greasy  bludgeon,  be- 
tween three  and  four  feet  long,  which  must  have  weighed  ten  or  twelve 
pounds. 

The  idea  which  we  settled  on  was  that  it  was  a  backwoodsman,  half- 
breed  Indian,  perhaps  (it  was  hard  telling),  who  had  years  before  gone 
crazy.  By  chance  he  had  been  lost  in  the  woods,  and  had  gone  on  leading 
a  wandering  life,  eating  raw  flesh  for  food,  till  the  man  had  well  nigh 
changed  to  a  fierce  animal.  Instances  are  known  to  lumbermen  where 
persons  getting  lost  in  the  woods  became  deranged. 

That  night  the  men  whom  the  foreman  had  sent  down  to  the  settlement 
came  back,  and  a  priest  came  up  with  them. 

The  corpse  of  the  madman  we  had  killed  was  put  into  a  roughly  con- 
structed coffin  and  buried  in  the  snow. 

Lamson  asked  the  priest,  whose  name  was  Villate,  whether  he  wished  to 
conduct  a  funeral  service  over  the  body.     He  declined  to  do  so. 


THE  HAUNTED  LOGGING-CAMP. 


209 


Lamson  then  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  what  we  had  done,  and 
whether  he  deemed  it  a  murder.     And  to  this  question  he  made  no  reply. 

The  next  morning,  after  hearing  confession  from  the  French  boys,  he 
went  back,  taking  two  men  as  guides,  and  these  men  did  not  return. 


STATUE   POINT. 


But  the  general  opinion  of  the  men  was,  that  it  was  not  a  murder,  and 
that  such  a  being  as  this  man  had  better  be  put  out  of  the  way  than  suffered 
to  go  at  large  in  the  woods." 

Such  was  Nugent's  story. 


2IO 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Next  forenoon  a  most  laughable  thing  happened.  We  had  several 
bear-traps  set  at  different  poirts  along  the  lake  and  in  the  woods,  and 
used  to  take  turns  going  to  visit  them.  After  breakfast  Karzy  strolled 
away  to  look  to  one  set  in  the  bed  of  a  gully  about  a  mile  back  of  the 
camp. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  he  came  back,  running,  and  out  of  breath. 
*'  We  Ve  got  the  old  fellow!  "  he  shouted.     "  Come  onl " 

"  What  is  it?  "  we  inquired.     "  Is  it  a  bear.'' " 

"It 's  either  a  bear,  or  something'  bigger!  "  cried  Karzy.  "  It  has 
got  in  amongst  some  firs.  Oh,  you  just  ought  to  hear  ic  growl  and 
snap  its  old  teeth !  " 

On  that  we  all  loaded  up  and  started.  Karzy  led  the  way.  We 
advanced  cautiously  up  the  gully,  and  for  some  time  reconnoitred  the 
clump  of  firs  -where  the  trap  was  set,  with  due  prudence.  Several 
stones  and  clubs  were  flung  in.  At  length,  getting  tired  of  the  by- 
play, Nugent  and  Moses  O.  pushed  in,  and  lol  there  was  a  little 
tvoodchuck,  caught! 

Karzy  looked  nonplussed.  He  had  no  more  peace  that  day. 
"Karzy's  bear"  was  a  standing  joke  ever  afterwards.  Moses  O.  in 
particular  was  vastly  amused  at  Karzy's  description  how  the  wood- 
chuck  had  "growled  and  snapped  its  teeth;"  and  that  evening  at 
dinner  he  gave  us  some  of  his  early  experiences  of  Indiana  wood- 
chucks  at  the  district  school  where  he  went  when  a  "  little  shaver." 


MOSES   O.   TELLS  A  LITTLE   STORY  ABOUT  WOODCHUCKS 

AT  SCHOOL. 

"It  was  the  first  day  of  the  summer  school,  ten  or  eleven  years  ago,  at  a 
certain  little  yellow  school-house  out  West.  Thirty-five  or  forty  of  us  had 
come  together  for  the  first  time  that  season,  the  boys  in  their  new  palm-leaf 
hats,  the  girls  in  their  starched  sun-bonnets,  and  all,  save  one  or  two,  w'th 
clean-scrubbed  faces,  and  hair  combed  down  slick  and  smooth. 

Our  teacher  that  summer  was  a  Miss  Woodward,  a  young  lady  from  an 


MOSES  0:S  STORY. 


211 


)> 


rom  an 


adjoining  town  ;  and  this  was  her  first  attempt  at  teaching.  Miss  W.  could 
not  have  been  more  than  seventeen  or  eighteen,  herself.  A  little,  slight, 
fair  girl,  with  light-brown  hair  and  light  eyes,  which  some  of  us  thought 
were  blue  and  some  gray.  I  think  I  shall  always  remember  with  what  a 
grave  little  air  she  came  into  the  school-room  that  morning  and  rang  her 
bell,  and  in  what  a  low  and  diffident  voice  she  said  a  prayer  after  we  had 
read  in  the  Testament.  But  she  brought  with  her  one  of  the  biggest  "  rulers  " 
we  had  any  of  us  ever  seen.  We  little  fellows  eyed  it,  and  wondered 
whether  so  small  a  school-ma'am  could  really  do  business  with  it.  Later  in 
the  term  we  had  less  doubt  on  the  subject. 

As  it  happened,  a  woodchuck  had  dug  his  hole  under  the  school-house, 
on  the  back  side,  and  taken  up  his  abode  there,  for  the  house  war  not  under- 
pinned, and  the  sills  were  laid  on  the  ground,  or  on  low  corner-stones  close 
down  to  it.  Probably  the  chuck  had  come  there  early  in  the  spring.  Every 
onie  knows  what  an  odd  whistling  note  a  woodchuck  will  make  when  it  hears 
or  sees  anything  that  startles  it,  or  that  it  does  not  understand.  Just  as  Miss 
W.  had  called  the  class  in  the  Fourth  Reader,  that  forenoon,  what  should 
we  hear  from  down  under  the  floor  but  this  woodchuck's  loud,  sharp  and 
long-drawn  whick-ur-ur-ur-ur-r-r-r ! 

It  made  us  jump  and  it  made  us  laugh  ;  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  our 
little  lady  teacher's  troubles  for  many  a  day.  During  school  hours,  however, 
the  woodchuck  generally  kept  pretty  quiet;  but  at  recess  and  at  noon,  it 
would  often  whistle ;  and,  once  in  a  while,  it  would  begin  in  school  time, 
when  either  we  were  reading,  or  reciting  the  multiplication  tables,  and  par- 
ticularly when  one  sharp-spoken  little  urchin  was  saying  his  letters.  Then, 
suddenly,  would  come  that  queer,  shrill  whistle,  "whick-ur-ur-r-r."  And 
when  the  woodchuck  would  whick-ur,  all  the  children  would  snicker.  For 
it  would  come  so  suddenly,  and  seem  so  near,  that  it  was  really  comical. 

Yet,  if  we  could  have  had  one  good  laugh  over  it,  unrestrained,  and  the 
teacher  had  joined  in  it  and  let  it  pass,  we  probably  should  not  have  wanted 
to  laugh  at  it  again — not  so  much,  at  least.  But  Miss  Woodward  would  as 
soon  have  laughed  at  a  funeral.  Once,  I  recollect,  the  woodchuck  whistled 
iright  in  the  midst  of  her  quiet,  little  prayer,  and  then  three  or  four  of  us 
snickered  right  out !  We  could  n't  help  it.  But  our  teacher  thought  that 
was  very  rude  and  wicked  in  us.  Such  of  us  as  had  laughed  had  to  stand 
out  on  the  floor  and  lose  our  recess.  The  fact  was — as  I  now  surmise  — 
Miss  Woodward  was  morbidly  anxious  lest  she  should  not  keep  "  good  order  " 
in  her  school-room. 


212 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


For  several  "  noons  "  Miss  W.  had  us  try  to  drive  out  the  chuck.  But 
the  sills  of  the  house  were  so  low  that  no  one,  however  small,  could  crawl 
under.  At  length  she  appealed  to  the  school-agent,  Mr.  Murch ;  and  Mr. 
Murch  came,  and,  with  a  long  pole,  tried  to  punch  out  the  animal.  He 
worked  at  it  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  even  took  up  one  or  two  boards  of  the 
floor ;  but  he  could  not  seem  to  dislodge  the  disturber. 

"It's  difRkilt  reachin'  'im,  ma'am,"  said  Mr.  Murch.  "An'>  a.ter  all,  it's 
on'y  a  woodchuck.     Let  'im  whistle !  " 

But,  next  noon,  Ned  Garland  and  I  thought  we  would  try  again,  and  see 
if  we  could  not  beat  Mr.  Murch,  and  astonish  Miss  Woodward  .with  our 
smartness.  We  procured  an  old  hoe,  and,  going  at  our  task  with  a  will,  dug 
under  the  sill  on  the  back  side.  Scraping  a  hole  large  enough  to  admit  our 
bodies,  we  both  crawled  under ;  and,  once  under  the  sill,  we  could  creep 
about,  though  it  was  a  very  mouldy,  dirty  place. 

Seeing  us  inside  its  retreat,  the  woodchuck  ran  from  side  to  side,  then 
escaped  by  another  hole  it  had.  But  now  a  new  wonder  took  our  attention. 
Up  in  one  corner,  under  a  wisp  of  dry  catnip,  we  perceived  something  wrig- 
gling ;  and,  on  poking  into  it,  lo  !  there  ran  out  six  little  woodchucks  !  Wee, 
tiny  things  they  were,  not  bigger  than  little  kittens,  yet  rarher  more  active, 
and  perfect  little  woodchucks  in  form  and  looks.  They  scud  about  under  the 
house.  But  we  caught  four  of  them  in  our  caps.  The  other  two  got  away 
into  some  hole,  or  dark  cranny,  where  we  could  not  find  them. 
'  We  were  two  begrimed  and  dirty  lads  when,  at  length,  we  crawled  out. 
None  of  the  children  had  ever  seen  baby  woodchucks  before.  We  put  them 
down  on  the  school-house  floor  and  wondered  over  them  and  played  with 
them.  For  they  were  about  as  cunning  little  objects  as  can  well  be  imagined. 
Even  these  tiny  little  bits  would  try  to  whistle,  just  like  the  old  one,  and 
make  an  oddly  feeble,  squeaking  little  noise,  in  their  throats.  They  were 
chubby  and  fat  and  had  the  drollest  stub  noses ;  they  would  run  for  the  cor- 
ners of  the  room  ;  and  when  we  touched  them,  to  draw  them  out,  they  would 
try  to  whick-ur-tcr-r-r  ! 

"Oh,  we  must  show  them  to  the  mistress  !  "  one  little  girl  said.  It  was 
almost  school  time.  And  then  the  roguish  thought  came  into  my  head,  to 
put  them  into  the  teacher's  drawer,  for  there  was  a  drawer  in  the  "desk," 
where  she  kept  her  books  and  ink.  We  knew  it  was  mischief,  but  we  did 
not  think  Miss  W.  would  mind  it  so  much  —  seeing  we  had  driven  out  the 
old  woodchuck.  We  wanted  her  to  see  the  little  chucks  and  thought  it 
would  be  fun  to  surprise  her.     So  we  took  out  her  books  and  piled  them  on 


MOSES  0:S  STORY. 


213 


crawl 

dMr. 

He 

3f  the 


ill,  it's 

nd  see 
th  our 
11,  dug 
nit  our 
.  creep 

e,  then 
ention. 
y  wrig- 
!  Wee, 
active, 
der  the 
>t  away 

ed  out. 
at  them 
ed  with 
agined. 
ne,  and 
jy  were 
he  cor- 
would 

It  was 
lead,  to 
"desk," 
we  did 
out  the 
)ught  it 
;hem  on 


the  desk  and  then  put  the  four  bits  in  the  drawer  and  shut  it.     We  hurried, 
for  Miss  W.  was  already  coming,  a  few  rods  away,  then  ran  to  our  seats. 

When  the  teacher  came  in,  she  did  not  notice  the  books  being  out, 
for  she  often  left  them  on  the  desk.  She  hung  up  her  hat,  rang  the  bell  and 
then  called  the  class  in  the  Pourth  Reader.  We  felt  pretty  queer  and  a  little 
guilty,  as  we  went  out  to  read.  But  everything  went  on  as  usual,  till  Julia 
Sylvester  came  to  read.  Julia  could  not  pronounce  the  word  formidable 
correctly.  After  telling  her  how  several  times,  Miss  Woodward  opened  the 
drawer  suddenly  to  get  a  piece  of  chalk  to  write  the  word,  in  syllables,  on 
the  blaokboard.  When  she  pulled  out  the  drawer,  out  leaped  the  little  wood- 
chucks  —  one  of  them  into  her  very  lap  ! 

Of  course  it  startled  her.  She  screamed,  jumped  up  from  the  desk,  ran 
half  across  the  floor  and  stood  all  in  a  flutter. 

"They're  nothing  but  little  woodchucks ! "  Ned  and  I  ventured  to  say. 
"  They  won't  hurt  anybody !  "  and  we  got  up  and  caught  them  in  our  hands. 

By  this  time  Miss  Woodward  had  regained  her  dignity  a  little. 

"  Put  those  creatures  out  of  doors,"  said  she  in  a  tone  that  made  us  feel 
rather  serious. 

We  made  haste  to  drop  them  outside. 

"Who  put  those  animals  in  the  drawer?"  was  her  first  question,  when  we 
came  back. 

Ned  and  I  did  not  attempt  to  deny  it ;  though  now  we  were  conscious 
that  it  would  be  a  grave  offence.  For  the  teacher  regarded  it  as  a  gross 
attempt  to  impose  on  her  school  government.  She  was  very  pale  now  and 
trembled  like  a  leaf,  as  she  took  her  "  ruler  "  and  called  Ned  and  me  up  to  her 
desk ;  but  her  eye  had  a  gleam  of  baleful  resolution  in  it  before  which  we 
quailed,  for  we  saw  no  mercy  there.  I  suppose  our  soiled  and  dirty  appear- 
ance was  against  us. 

She  bade  me  hold  out  my  hand  and  took  the  tips  of  my  fingers  in  hers 
like  a  vice.  And,  then  Oh,  how  she  put  on  the  ruler  !  —  and  not  only  the 
right  hand,  but  the  left,  —  both  hands ;  I  don't  know  how  many  blows ;  I  was 
too  much  occupied  twisting  and  squirming  to  count  straight. 

One  would  neyer  have  supposed  that  such  a  slight  little  thing  could  have 
given  us  such  a  hammering,  and  laid  on  the  blows  so  hard ! 

Ned  got  an  equally  severe  chastisement  on  both  his  hands.     She  did  pay 
on  outrageously  hard ! 

In  a  minute  my  hands  were  puffed  up  in  white  blisters,  fingers  and  palms. 
They  ached  as  if  they  had  been  chilled,  all  the  rest  of  the  afternoon ;  and  the 


214 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


next  day  were  dreadfully  sore,  fairly  blue  and  purple  in  spots.     Neither  of 
us  could  play  ball  or  pitch  quoits  for  four  or  five  days. 

Perhaps  it  was  no  more  than  we  deserved.  I  do  not  remember  that  we 
laid  up  any  grudge  against  our  teacher.  Yet  I  think  it  would  have  been 
better  if  Miss  W.  had  tried  to  more  fully  understand  her  boys.  For  if  she 
had  understood  us  a  little  better  she  would  have  seen  how  easily  we  were 
ruled  and  led  by  a  sympathetic  word  or  look  from  her. 

Still  another  woodchuck,  at  the  same  school-house,  came  near  getting  me 
into  trouble.  It  was  one  that  some  of  the  large  boys  had  put  into  the  stove. 
This  was  during  the  "  winter  school,"  which  began  that  year  about  the  first 
of  November.  At  this  time,  woodchucks  are  denned  up  for  their  winter 
sleep.  But  there  had  been  a  very  heavy  rain  which  had  washed  out  the 
roads  badly.  A  party  of  men  were  at  work  repairing  the  damage  done  on 
a  hill  near  the  school-house,  and  either  ploughed  or  dug  this  woodchuck  out 
of  his  burrow,  where  he  was  nicely  coiled  up  and  fast  asleep.  So  dormant 
was  it,  that  it  rolled  down  into  the  ditch  and  lay  there,  without  seeming  to 
wake  or  stir  much. 

Some  of  the  large  boys  were  out  there  at  noon,  and  they  brought  the 
woodchuck  up  to  the  school-house  and  put  it,  all  coiled  up  as  it  was  and  not 
half  conscious,  into  the  box-stove  which  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor. 
The  day  was  a  warm  one,  for  the  season.  We  had  only  a  little  fire  in  the 
morning,  and  none  in  the  afternoon. 

Alf.  Sylvester  was  the  one  who  put  the  woodchuck  in  the  stove,  though 
Newm  Darnley  and  Wilts  Murch  had  a  hand  in  it.  They  did  it  to  impose 
on  the  master.  In  the  winter,  when  all  the  large  boys  went,  we  had  a  male 
teacher.  The  master's  name  was  Foster ;  he  was  a  rather  tall,  sandy-haired 
young  man,  twenty-two  or  three  years  old  and  pretty  sharp  on  us ;  though 
he  had  about  all  he  could  do  to  keep  order.  This  Alf  Sylvester  and  Newm 
Darnley  disliked  him  and  had  often  threatened  to  carry  him  out  of  school ; 
but  they  did  not  quite  dare  to  try  it.  This  trick  with  the  woodchuck  was 
pure  mischief  on  their  part — to  try  the  teacner's  mettle. 

When  Alf  put  the  woodchuck  in,  he  turned  to  us  smaller  boys  and  said 
that  if  we  told  of  it,  or  said  a  word  about  it,  he  would  thrash  us.  We  knew 
him  only  too  well. 

Very  likely  there  might  still  have  remained  some  warmth,  or  embers 
under  the  ashes  in  the  stove.     At  any  rate  the  chuck  waked  up  after  a  time. 

School  was  called  to  order  and  went  on  as  usual,  till  almost  recess  time, 
when  "  Bub"  Sylvester,  one  of  the  little  fellows,  fired  off  a  potato  pop-gun, 


MOSES  0:S  STORY. 


215 


said 
knew 


in  school.  The  master  caught  him  at  it  and  after  giving  him  a  shaking-up, 
took  the  pop-gun  away  from  him  and  went  to  throw  it  in  the  stove.  As  he 
opened  the  stove  door,  out  jumped  the  woodchuck,  covered  with  ashes,  and 
divtd  under  the  front  seats,  where  some  little  girls  sat. 

it  made  the  master  start !  and  it  caused  a  general  hubbub  ;  for  the  crea- 
ture made  a  great  dust  and  ran  about  under  the  seats.  The  girls  screamed 
when  it  ran  their  way  ?  and  the  boys  laughed.  It  was  some  minutes  before 
Mr.  Foster  could  knock  it  over  with  the  fire-shovel,  and  throw  it  out.. 

The  master  had  heard  the  story,  how  Ned  and  I  had  put  the  little  wood- 
chucks  in  the  mistress'  drawer,  the  term  before.  I  suppose  it  came  into  his 
mind  that  we  had  done  this.  For  as  soon  as  he  had  tossed  the  chuck  out, 
he  turned,  looked  straight  at  us  and  called  us  out  into  the  floor. 

"  Did  either  of  you  put  that  creature  into  the  stove?"  he  demanded. 

We,  of  course,  denied  it.  The  master  regarded  us  doubtfully.  He  was 
angry. 

"  If  you  did  not  do  it,  who  did?"  was  his  next  question. 

We  did  not  dare  to  tell. 

"  Tell  me  who  did  it,  or  I  will  whip  you  both  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Foster, 
sternly. 

We  were  in  a  fix.  If  we  told,  Alf  would  break  our  bones,  for  aught  we 
knew.     It  was  a  choice  of  evils.     We  stood  and  trembled. 

At  that  moment  of  our  distress,  Delia  Voorhees,  one  of  the  large  girls,  to 
whom  the  m'\ster  was  very  polite,  spoke  a  judicious  word  in  our  behalf:  — 

"  They  did  not  do  it,  Mr.  Foster,"  said  she.  "  But  they  know  they  will  be 
worse  whipped  if  they  tell." 

At  this  the  master  stood  regarding  us  a  moment,  then  abruptly  dismissed 
us  to  our  seats,  and  said  not  another  word  about  the  matter  that  day. 

But  next  morning,  the  first  thing  after  school  began,  the  master  called 
Alf  out,  and,  taking  his  ruler,  feruled  him  on  both  hands,  so  severely  that  our 
big  tyrant,  seventeen  years  old  though  he  was,  whimpered  like  a  four-year- 
old. 

"  You  know  what  that  is  for,  and  all  the  school  knows,"  observed  Mr. 
Foster.     That  was  all  he  said. 

We  all  knew ;  and  knew  very  well  that  Alf  had  got  no  more  than  he 
deserved. 


CHAPTER    XXI.  ' 

QUEBEC.      THE  WOOD-SPRITES  AGAIN.       FAREWELL. 

"^  T  breakfast  oh  our  thirteenth  morning  at  Camp  Tshis- 
tagama,  Rike  had  the  misfortune  to  bite  a  shot  in  a 
duck's  breast,  and  break  one  of  his  back  teeth.  It 
commenced  to  ache,  and  he  had  a  sorrowful  time  of 
it  for  a  number  of  days;  and  on  his  account  (that  he 
might  as  soon  as  possible  get  to  a  dentist)  we  stayed 
not  so  long  up  at  the  Perilonca,  by  a  few  days,  as  we 
had  at  first  planned. 

Getting  back  to  Chicoutimi,  the  second  afternoon 
after  breaking  up  camp  on  tLe  lake,  we  found  the  steamer  St.  Law- 
rence, bound  for  Quebec,  just  casting  off  from  her  pier.  She  stayed 
for  a  few  minutes  to  take  us  on  board. 

Our  tour  with  Nugent  and  Otelne  had  been  in  every  way  satis- 
factory. They  had  showed  us  good  sport;  and  we  half  bargained  for 
their  services  on  a  future  hunt  in  that  country,  to  the  north  of  Lac 
St.  yean. 

■  In  a  few  moments  we  were  again  on  the  rock-walled  Saguenay. 
Passing  the  entrance  to  Ha  Ha  Bay,  the  sternly  grand  scenery  of  this 
singular  river  soon  began  to  loom  on  either  hand  in  all  its  unrivalled 
majesty.  The  river  seems  not  more  than  a  mile  wide;  but  the 
steamer's  officers  told  us  that  it  was  double  that  width. 

To  sit  on  the  deck  in  the  cool  breeze  with  new  and  still  more 
tremendous  cliffs  heaving  in  sight  minute  by  minute,  was,  indeed,  a 
rare  pleasure. 


LES  TABLEAUX. 


217 


Of  these  Les  Tableaux^  a  precipice  nine  hundred  feet  high,  the 
riverward  face  of  which  contains  a  broad  sheet  of  dark  limestone, 
six  hundred  feet  by  three  hundred,  so  smooth  and  straight  as  to 
suggest  a  vast  canvas  prepared  for  a  picture,  soon  claimed  our  atten- 
tion, Karzj^'s  in  particular. 


LES  TABLEAUX. 


Shortly  after  w^e  were  off  Statue  Point,  towering  thirteen  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  river.  At  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  a  huge 
Gothic  arch  gives  entrance  to  a  black  cavern  which  no  one  has  ever 
reached.     In   tliis  archway  there  formerly  stood  an  enormous  rock 


2l8 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLU.^. 


which,  from  the  river,  resembled  a  statue.  A  few  years  ago,  during 
the  winter  season,  this  Cyclopean  effigy  was  dislodged  from  its 
pedestal,  and  came  crashing  downward,  plunging  through  the  ice  of 
the  Saguenay.  Its  fall  revealed  the  cavern's  mouth  which,  for  ages, 
it  had  guarded. 

Immediately  afterward,  the  two  world-famed  wonders  of  the 
Saguenay  came  into  view:  Capes  Trinity  and  Eternity.  There  is  a 
cove  or  arm  of  the  river  extending  back  betwixt  these  on  the  right, 
or  west,  bank.  The  steamer  put  in  here,  close  beneath  the  gloomy 
foot  of  Trinity,  the  better  to  show  its  own  littleness  as  compared  with 
the  prodigious  height  of  the  cliff.  We  seemed  to  be  within  a  few 
yards ;  yet  on  trial  we  found  that  not  one  of  us,  at  first,  could  throw  a 
stone  against  the  face  of  the  rock.  Each  steamer  carries  a  locker  of 
pebbles  for  this  especial  purpose. 

At  length  Harold  and  Moses  O.  succeeded  in  planting  each  his 
missile  against  the  crag.  The  whistle  of  the  steamer  is  thrice  echoed 
back  from  far  up  the  precipice;  yet  it  sounded  strangely  like  a  boy's 
penny  trumpet.  Far  more  gifted  pens  than  ours  have  portrayed  these 
master-pieces  of  Nature's  rough  Titan-work. 

Mr.  Howells  thus  describes  them:  — 


**  Suddenly  the  boat  rounded  the  corner  of  the  three  steps,  each  five 
hundred  feet  high,  in  which  Cape  Trinity  climbs  from  the  river,  and  crept  in 
under  the  naked  side  of  the  awful  cliff.  It  is  sheer  rock,  springing  from  the 
black  water,  and  stretching  upward  with  a  weary,  effort-like  aspect,  in  long 
impulses  of  stone  marked  by  deep  seams  from  space  to  space,  till,  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet  in  air,  its  vast  brow  beetles  forward,  and  frowns  with 
a  scattering  fringe  of  pines.  .  .  .  The  rock  fully  justifies  its  attributive 
height  to  the  eye,  which  follows  the  upward  rush  of  the  mighty  acclivity, 
steep  after  steep,  till  it  wins  the  cloud-capt  summit,  when  the  measureless 
mass  seems  to  swing  and  sway  overhead,  and  the  nerves  tremble  with  the 
same  terror  that  besets  him  who  looks  downward  from  the  verge  of  a  lofty 
'  precipice.  It  is  wholly  grim  and  stern;  no  touch  of  beauty  relieves  the 
austere  majesty  of  that  presence.     At  the  foot  of  Cape  Trinity  the  water  is 


IMPOSING  SCENERY. 


219 


of  unknown  depth,  and  it  spreads,  a  black  expanse,  in  the  rounding  hollow 
of  shores  of  unimaginable  wildness  and  desolation,  and  issues  again  in  its 
river's  course  around  the  base  of  Cape  Eternity.  This  is  yet  loftier  than  the 
sister  cliff,  but  it  slopes  gently  back  froni  the  stream,  and  from  foot  to  crest  it 
is  heavily  clothed  with  a  forest  of  pines.  The  woods  that  hitherto  have 
shagged  the  hills  with  a  stunted  and  meagre  growth,  showing  long  stretches 
scarred  by  fire,  now  assume  a  stately  size,  and  assemble  themselves  com- 
pactly upon  the  side  of  the  mountain,  setting  their  serried  stems  one  rank 
above  another,  till  the  summit  is  crowned  with  the  mass  of  their  darlc-green 
plumes,  dense  and  soft  and  beautiful ;  so  that  the  spirit,  perturbed  by  the 
spectacle  of  the  other  cliff,  is  calmed  and  assuaged  by  the  serene  grandeur 
of  this." 

With  this  graceful  description  compare  a  briefer  paragraph  from 
Bayard  Taylor's  graphic  pen :  — 

"These  awful  cliffs,  planted  in  water  nearly  a  thousand  feet  deep,  and 
soaring  into  the  very  sky,  form  the  gateway  to  a  rugged  valley,  stretching 
inland,  and  covered  with  the  dark  primeval  forest  of  the  North.  I  doubt 
whether  a  sublimer  picture  of  the  wilderness  is  to  be  found  on  this  conti- 
nent. .  .  .  The  wall  of  dun-colored  syenitic  granite,  ribbed  with  vertical 
streaks  of  black,  hung  for  a  moment  directly  over  our  heads,  as  high  as  three 
Trinity  spires  atop  of  one  another.  Westward,  the  wall  ran  inland,  project- 
ing bastion  after  bastion  of  inaccessible  rock  over  the  dark  forests  in  the  bed 
of  the  valley. 

"  When  the  Flying  Fish  ascended  the  river  with  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
his  suite,  one  of  her  heavy  sixty-eight-pounders  was  fired  off  near  Cape 
Trinity.  For  the  space  of  half  a  minute  or  so  after  the  discharge,  there  was  a 
dead  silence,  and  then,  as  if  the  report  and  concussion  were  hurled  back  upon 
the  decks,  the  echoes  came  down  crash  upon  crash.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
rocks  and  crags  had  all  sprung  inta  life  under  the  tremendous  din,  and  as  if 
each  was  firing  sixty-eight-pounders  full  upon  us,  in  sharp  crushing  volley8» 
till  at  last  they  grew  hoarser  in  their  anger,  and  retreated,  bellowing  slowlyt 
carrying  the  tale  of  invaded  solitude  from  hill  to  hill,  till  all  the  distant 
mountains  seemed  to  roar  and  groan  at  the  intrusion." 

Grand  but  less  lofty  headlands  and   capes  succeed  all  the  way 
down  to  Tadousac. 


J 


220 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


Thence  we  crossed  to  the  pier  at  Riviere  du  Loup  rgain  where  for. 
some  reason  best  known  to  the  steamer's  officers,  we  lay  all  night  and 
did  not  reach  Quebec  till  two  the  following  afternoon.  This  trip  by 
day  gave  us  a  good  view  of  the  breadth  and  grandeur  of  the  St. 
Lawrence.  Along  its  north  shore  the  scenery  is  not  a  little,  at  inter- 
vals, like  that  of  the  Saguenay,  particularly  the  dark,  beetling  prom- 
ontory of  Cape  Tourmcnlc  and  the  lofty  crags  of  Cape  Rouge  and 
Cape  Gribaune. 

Then  succeeds  the  pleasant  suburban  aspect  of  Isle  of  Orleans 
(noted  chiefly  in  our  memory  for  the  "  Orleans  plum,"  a  fine  damson 
in  its  season),  and  then  the  picturesque  old  city  of  Quebec,  with  its 
towering  citadel  and  (at  that  time)  two  grim  red-and-black  iron-clads 
lying  in  the  river  beneath. 

Quebec  with  its  old  walls,  frowning  fortress,  cannon  and  frequent 
sentinels,  is  held  by  tourists  to  much  resemble  certain  old  European 
towns;  and  it  is  upon  this  resemblance  that  its  fame  and  its  attraction 
for  visitors,  particularly  those  from  the  "  States,"  depend.  For  our 
"  Yankee  "  tourist  and  his  lady,  though  grand  dcspisers  of  the  "  efiete 
monarchies  of  the  old  world,"  are  yet  curious  admirers  of  ruins,  old 
churches,  etc.  Qiiebec  is  the  next  best  thing  to  a  tour  in  Europe. 
The  sacristan  told  us  that  those  old  vestments,  woven  of  gold  thread, 
in  the  cathedral,  said  to  have  been  presented  by  Louis  XIV.  (Le  Grand 
Monarque)  to  the  Bishop  of  Qiiebec,  were  his  irresistible  card  with 
the  "  States  people."  He  gets  his  most  liberal  "  tips  "  for  flowing 
these.  Some  days  he  tells  visitors  that  the  vestments  cost  one  million 
dollars,  others  one  million  pounds;  sometimes  he  cuts  it  down  to 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  according  to  the  looks  of  the  visiting 
party.  He  was  exact  with  us;  there  were  wrought  into  those  vest- 
ments seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  fine  gold 
thread  —  he  stated.  We  gave  him,  each,  a  quarter  for  this  valuable 
information.  !    '     '  ' 

Immediately  on  landing  from   the  steamer,  we  took  passage  in 


QUEBEC, 


223 


three  calashes  {caUches)^  odd,  two-wheeled,  one-horse  vehicles,  with 
French  "Jehus"  who  laid  on  the  lash,  shouting  ^^ Marchez  done!''''  for 
Hotel  St.  Louis.  A  rattling  ride  up  the  steep  streets,  where  we  were 
compelled  to  hold  to  the  sides  of  the  rocking  calashes  with  both 
hands,  brought  us  to  the  hotel.  But  this  hotel,  the  best  in  Qiiebec, 
was,  thanks  to  our  fellow  countrymen, y*////,  all  too  full  to  receive  us. 
We  proceeded  ac- 
cordingly to  the  AU 
bion,  a  less  palatial 
hostelry,  where  we 
were  fairly  well  ac- 
commodated. 

Dinner  over,  we 
walked  up,  in  the 
cool  of  the  after- 
noon, to  see  the  cit- 
adel, and  enjoy  the 
magnificent  view 
from  its  old  walls; 
a  view  unsurpassed 
in  all  Canada. 

Off  to  the  north- 
east rolls  the  grand 
St.  Lawrence,  its 
shores  studded  with 
towns  and  villages.  This  view  alone  is  worth  a  visit  here.  No 
wonder  old  Jacques  Cartier's  adventurous  eyes  dilated  with  pride  and 
joy  as  he  gazed  out  from  this  lofty  headland  over  the  new  country 
and  mighty  river  he  had  discovered. 

But  not  much  does  the  Quebec  of  to-day  resemble  that  of 
Jacques  Cartier's  early  time,  when  the  starving  savages  came  beg- 
ging  food   to   the   rude   stockade   and   block-houses  at  the  foot  of 


rf'.,""     •        V    < 

>i 

m 

^ 

Fff 

\ 

I 

'       A    , 

y^ 

', 

)■ 

^^fc^        ■'^'^ 

V    (ij 

■  *                ; 

\  '\ 

w 

"% 

"3} 

'f' 

•  ^ 

/ 

JACQUES  C ARTIER. 


224 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


the  cliff  now  surmounted  by  massive  walls   and  gaping  Whitworth 
guns. 

Little,  indeed,  does  any  portion  of  this  fair  Dominion  resemble  the 
Canada  of  two  hundred  years  ago  when  Champlain,  Cartier's  brother 
explorer,  clad  in  armor,  fought  in  the  ranks  of  his  new  Indian  allies 
and  astonished  the  Iroquois  with  the,  to  them,  terrible  thunder  and 
smoke  of  his  old  arquebus,  a  weapon  that  now  no  school-boy  would 
go  squirrel-shooting  with.  ,  '        -  ■ 

A  bird's-eye  view  from  the  citadel  shows  Quebec  to  be  a  triangle 

in  situation,  bounded  by 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  St. 
Charles  rivers  on  two 
sides  and  the  Plains  of 
Abraham  on  the  third. 
But  this  triangle  holds  two 
distinct  towns,  the  Upper 
and  the  Lower.  The  Lotv- 
er  Town  is  the  business 
part;  the  Upper  Town,  or 
Old  Quebec,  is  that  situat- 
ed on  the  bluff  at  the  foot 
of  the  citadel.  Formerly 
this  portion  was  surround- 
ed by  a  strong  wall  de- 
signed to  resist  assault;  and  there  were  massive  gates  like  those  we 
read  of  in  the  Middle  Ages.  But  the  walls  and  most  of  the  gates  have 
been  taken  down.  This  part  of  Quebec  stands  some  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  Lower  Town,  where  are  the  wharves  and  warehouses. 
It  is  the  mediaeval  aspect  of  this  Upper  Toivn  which  constitutes  it 
such  an  attraction  to  travellers  from  the  "  States."  We  have  nothing 
like  it  at  home.  Certainly  a  great  deal  has  been  said  of  its  old  walls 
and  churches;  but  if  we  may  trust  Thoreau's  taste,  "too  much  can 


THE  CITADEL. 


QUEBEC. 


225 


never  be  said.  The  citadel  is  omnipresent.  You  travel  ten,  twenty, 
thirty  miles  up  or  down  the  river,  you  ramble  fifteen  miles  among  the 
hills  on  either  side;  and  then,  when  you  have  fairly  forgotten  it,  at  a 
turn  of  the  path,  or  of  your  body,  there  it  stands  in  its  towering  geom- 
etry against  the  sky.  No  wonder  Jaques  Cartier's  pilot  exclaimed  in 
Norman  French,  ^ue  bee  (What  a  beak) !  when  he  saw  this  cape, 
as  some  suppose.  Every  traveller  involuntarily  uses  a  similar  ex- 
pression. 

'*The  view  from  Cape  Diamond  has  been  compared  by  European 
travellers  with  the  most  remarkable  views  of  a  similar  kind  in  Europe, 
such  as  from  Edinburgh  Castle,  Gibraltar,  Cintra  and  others,  and  pre- 
ferred by  many.  A  main  peculiarity  in  this,  compared  with  other 
views  which  I  have  beheld,  is  that  it  is  from  the  ramparts  of  a  fortified 
city,  and  not  from  a  solitary  and  majestic  river  cape  alone,  that  this 
view  is  obtained. 

^'^I  still  remember  the  harbor  farbentath  me,  sparkling  like  silver  in 
the  sun,  the  answering  headlands  of  Point  Levi  on  the  south-east,  the 
frowning  Cape  Tourmente  abruptly  bounding  the  seaward  view  far  in 
the  north-east,  the  villages  of  Lorette  and  Charlesbourg  on  the  north, 
and  farther  west  the  distant  Val  Cartier,  sparkling  with  white  cottages, 
hardly  removed  by  distance  through  the  clear  air,  not  to  mention  a 
few  blue  mountains  along  the  horizon  in  that  direction.  You  look  out 
from  the  ramparts  of  the  citadel  beyond  the  frontiers  of  civilization. 
Yonder  small  group  of  hills,  according  to  the  guide-book,  forms  the 
portal  of  the  wilds  which  are  trodden  only  by  the  feet  of  the  Indian 
hunters  as  far  as  Hudson's  Bay 

"Such  structures  as  these  walls  and  gates  carry  us  back  to  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  and  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  and  the  days 
of  the  Buccaneers.  In  the  armory  of  the  Citadel  they  showed  me  a 
clumsy  implement,  long  since  useless,  which  they  called  a  Lombard 
gun  I  thought  that  their  whole  Citadel  was  such  a  Lombard  gun,  fit 
object  for  the  museums  of  the  curious. 


226 


THE  KNOCK^ABOUT  CLUB. 


'*  Silliman  states  that  the  cold  is  so  intense  in  the  winter  nights, 
particularly  on  Cape  Diamond,  that  the  sentinels  cannot  stand  it  more 
than  an  hour,  and  are  relieved  at  the  expiration  of  that  time ;  and  even 
as  it  is  said,  at  much  shorter  intervals,  in  the  case  of  the  most  severe 
cold.  I  shall  never  again  wake  up  in  a  colder  night  than  usual,  but  I 
shall  think  how  rapidly  the  sentinels  are  relieving  one  another  on  the 
walls  of  Quebec,  their  quicksilver  being  all  frozen,  as  if  appre- 
hensive that  some  hostile  Wolfe  may  even  then  be  scaling  the  Heights 
of  Abraham,  or  sonrie  persevering  Arnold  about  to  issue  from  the  wil- 
derness; some  Malay  or  Japanese,  perchance,  coming  round  by  the 
north-west  coast,  have  chosen  that  moment  to  assault  the  Citadel. 
Why,  I  should  as  soon  expect  to  see  the  sentinels  still  relieving  one 
another  on  the  walls  of  Nineveh,  which  have  so  long  been  buried  to 
the  world.  What  a  troublesome  thing  a  wall  isl  I  though;  ' .  was  to 
defend  me,  and  not  I  it  Of  course,  if  they  had  no  walls  they  would 
not  need  to  have  any  sentinels." 

While  promenading  on  the  breezy  Esplanade  an  hour  later,  whom 
should  we  come  plump  on  but  "  Robin  Goodfellow,"  of  the  Harvard 
party  we  hid  met  at  Mud  Pond  Carry. 

"How  are  ye,  old  boy  I"  shouted  Moses  O.,  who  was  the  first  to 
espy  him.     "Where  are  the  ladies?" 

"All  here!  "  responded  R.  G. 

"Then  you  stuck  by  them?" 

"Of  course." 

"And  got  them  throigh  all  right?" 

"To  be  sure." 

"Good  for  you.     Where  are  they?" 

"  They've  taken  rooms  for  a  week  on  St.  Genevieve  Street.  We 
fellows  are  stopping  at  the  hotel." 

"Is  all  serene?"  Rike  asked. 

"  Serene  as  an  Italian  sunset,"  said  Robin.  "  We're  going  to  do 
Quebec  in  company;  Montmorenci  Falls  to-morrow  forenoon." 


We 


to  do 


o 


THE   WOOD-SPRITES  AGAIN. 


229 


'*  I  say,  *  Robin/ "  quoth  Harold,  in  his  most  insinuating  tones, 
'*we  are  doing  Quebec  too.     Can't  we  'jine'  in?     We'll  be good^ 

Robin  very  kindly  undertook  to  plead  our  case  with  the  others, 
and  he  did  it  so  successfully,  that  some  two  hours  later  we  received  a 
most  cordial  call  from  "Wert"  and  *'Mellen,"  and  the  thing  was  so 
arranged  as  to  include  us  in  the  ride  to  Montmorenci.  Next  morning 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  ladies,  who  looked  finely  after 
their  wilderness  tour. 

In  the  morning  we  went  up  in  front  of  Hotel  St.  Louis,  to  hire 
carriages  and  drivers  for  the  trip  out  to  Montmorenci. 

Instantly  on  making  our  appearance,  we  were  the  centre  of  a 
crowd  of  hack  and  calash  men.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  hiring; 
the  trouble  was  to  keep  from  hiring  the  whole  of  them.  There  is  an 
amazing  number  of  these  drivers  who  apparently  live  out  of  carrying 
*' Yankees"  and' others  to  the  various  points  of  interest  about  Quebec. 
Our  experience  was  no  doubt  much  like  others  of  our  fellow  jun- 
trymen  who  visit  this  old  town.  Mr.  Howells  thus  describes  one  of 
these  scenes:  — 

"A  red-coated  soldier  or  two  passed  through  the  square;  three  or 
four  neat  little  French  policemen  lounged  about  in  blue  uniforms  and 
flaring  havelocks;  some  walnut-faced,  blue-eyed  old  citizens  and 
peasants  sat  upon  the  thresholds  of  the  row  of  old  houses,  and  gazed 
dreamily  through  the  smoke  of  their  pipes  at  the  slight  stir  and  glitter 
of  shopping  about  the  fine  stores  of  the  Rue  Fabrique.  An  air  of 
serene  disoccupation  pervaded  the  place,  with  which  the  drivers 
of  the  long  rows  of  calashes  and  carriages  in  front  of  the  cathedral 
did  not  discord.  Whenever  a  stray  American  wandered  into  the 
square,  there  was  a  wild  flight  of  these  drivers  towards .  him,  and  his 
person  was  lost  to  sight  amidst  their  pantomime.  They  did  not  try 
to  underbid  each  other,  and  they  weire  perfectly  good-humored.  As 
soon  as  he  had  made  his  choice,  the  rejected  multitude  returned  to 
their  places  on  the  curb-stone,  pursuing  the  successful  aspirant  with 


230 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


inscrutable  jokes  as  he  drove  off,  while  the  horses  went  on  munching 
the  contents  of  their  leathern  head-bags,  and  tossing  them  into  the  air 
to  shake  down  the  lurking  grains  of  corn." 

Our  own  experience  was  that  they  did  underbid  each  other  most 
atrociously,  on  the  si}'.     At  length,  we  selected  three  double-seated 

carriages,  at  seven  dollars  each, 
and  gathering  up  our  party  set 
off  at  a  rattling  pace  adown  the 
streets  of  the  Lower  Town,  across 
the  St.  Charles  and  round  by  the 
north  shore  to  the  cataract.  There 
were  three  toll-gates  on  the  route ; 
and  as  we  had  made  no  previous 
bargain  with  our  drivers,  as  is 
customary  (not  knowing  of  the 
gates),  we  had  the  toll  to  pay. 
The  way  lies  through  Beauport, 
and  past  the  celebrated  Beau- 
port  Asylum  for  the  insane.  Our 
drivers  were  constantly  pointing 
out  objects  of  supposed  interest, 
among  others  the  house  where 
Montcalm,  the  French  general, 
who  commanded  at  Quebec  and 
fell  in  the  famous  battle  with 
"Woife,  once  resided. 

A  drive  of  an  hour  took  us 
to  the  river  Montmorenci,  which  we.  crossed,  and,  leaving  our  teams 
and  drivers  at  a  little  hotel,  wended  our  way  by  a  pleasant  path 
along  the  left  bank  to  the  long  flights  of  stairs  which  v  ind  down  to 
the  foot  of  the  Falls. 

A  detailed  description  of  this  famous  cataract  would  appear  but 


COASTING  ON  TOBOGGINS. 


THE  PLAINS  OF  ABRAHAM. 


231 


trite,  perhaps;  for  is  it  not  all  down  in  a  score  of  guide-books?  and 
did  not  even  our  primary  geographies  tell  us  that  it  is  two  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  high,  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world  ? 

In  winter,  when  the  ice-cone  forms,  the  view  is  said  to  be  even 
more  striking.  Then,  too,  there  is  merry  coasting  down  the  cone  on 
toboggins. 

The  French  inhabitants  here  call  Montmorenci  La  Vacke  (the 
cow),  on  account  of  the  resemblance  of  its  white  foaming  waters  to 
milk,  seen  against  the  black  walls  of  the  precipice.  Others  say  that 
the  name  comes  from  the  noise  of.  the  Falls,  which,  when  the  wind  is 
favorable,  can  sometimes  be  heard  in  Quebec,  like  the  distant  lowing 
of  a  cow. 

Next  day  we  rode,  still  in  jolly  partnership,  out  to  the  Plains  of 
Abraham,  where,  as  evexy  school-boy  knows,  was  fought  the  last 
decisive  action  between  the  English  and  French  for  the  possession  of 
this  fair  city  and  Canada. 

A  simple  white  marble  shaft,  erected  by  his  brother  officers  of 
the  British  army,  marks  the  spot  where  Wolfe  fell. 

Herb  died 
Wolfe 
•  victorious 

Sept.  17th 

1759- 


Nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  for  a  gallant  soldier's  grave. 
No  fulsome  compliments  are  inscribed.  British  Canada  is  his  monu- 
ment. 

In  the  afternoon  we  rode  through  the  Lower  Town,  round  by  the 
narrow  street,  beneath  the  precipice  on  which  the  citadel  stands,  to 
the  spot  where  our  own  equally  gallant  Montgomery  fell,  in  the  forlorn 
attack  on  this  towering  Gibraltar. 

History  has  hardly  given  this  bold  expedition  full  credit.     How 


232 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


very  near  Montgomery  and  Arnold  came  to  capturing  Qiiebec  that 
bleak  winter  morning,  the  following  facts  will  testify:  — 

"In  the  midst  of  a  heavy  snow-storm  Arnold  advanced  through  the 
Lower  Town  from  his  quarters  near  the  St.  Charles  River,  and  led  his 
eight  hundred  New  Englanders  and  Virginians  over  two  or  three 
barricades.  The  Montreal  Bank  and  several  other  massive  stone 
houses  were  filled  with  British  regulars,  who  guarded  the  approaches 
with  such  deadly  fire  that  Arnold's  men  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in 
the  adjoining  houses,  while  Arnold  himself  was  badly  wounded  and 
carried  to  the  rear.  Meanwhile,  Montgomery  was  leading  his  New 
Yorkers  and  Continentals  north,  along  Champlain  Street  by  the  river 
side.  The  intention  was  for  the  two  attacking  columns,  after  driving 
the  enemy  from  the  Lower  Town,  to  unite  before  the  Prescott  Gate 
and  carry  it  by  storm.  A  strong  barricade  v/as  stretched  across 
Champlain  Street  from  the  cliff  to  the  river;  but  v/hen  its  guards  saw 
the  great  masses  of  the  attacking  column  advancing  through  the 
twilight,  they  fled.  In  all  probability,  Montgomery  would  have 
crossed  the  barricade,  delivered  Arnold's  men  by  attacking  the  enemy 
in  the  rear,  and  then,  with  fifteen  hundred  men  flushed  with  victory, 
would  have  escaladed  the  Prescott  Gate  and  won  Quebec  and  Canada, 
but  that  one  of  the  fleeing  Canadians,  impelled  by  a  strange  caprice, 
turned  quickly  back,  and  fired  the  cannon  which  stood  loaded  on  the 
barricade.  Montgomery  and  many  of  his  ofl5cers  and  men  v/ere 
stricken  down  by  the  shot,  and  the  column  broke  up  in  panic,  and  fled. 
The  British  forces  were  now  concentrated  on  Arnold's  men,  who  were 
hemmed  in  by  a  sortie  from  the  Palace  Gate,  and  four  hundred  and 
twenty-six  officers  and  men  were  made  prisoners.  A  painted  board 
has  been  hung  high  up  on  the  cliff*  over  the  place  in  Champlain  Street 
where  Montgomery  fell.  Montgomery  was  an  officer  in  Wolfe's  army 
when  Quebec  was  taken  from  the  French  fifteen  years  before,  and 
knew  the  ground.  His  mistake  was  in  heading  the  forlorn  hope. 
Qjiebec  was  the  capital  of  Canada  from  1760  to  1791,  and  after  that 


THE  CHAUDIERE. 


233 


it  served  as  a  semi-capital,  until  the  founding  of  Ottawa  City.  In 
1845,  two  thousand  nine  hundred  houses  were  burnt,  and  the  place 
was  nearly  destroyed,  but  soon  revived  with  the  aid  of  the  great 
lumber  trade,  which  is  still  its  specialty." 

On  the  day  following  we  crossed  over  to  Point  Levis,  by  ferry, 
and  rode  nine  miles  by  carriage,  to  the  Chaudiere  Falls,  three  or  four 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  this  name,  which  here  enters  the 
St.  Lawrence. 

The  Chaudiere  is  a  river  as  large,  to  look  at,  as  the  Connecticut 
at  Springfield,  Mass.;  and  it  here  falls  over  a  sheer  precipice,  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  in  height.  From  the  right  bank  and  from  sev- 
eral points  below  (to  which  we  descended  not  without  difficulty  and 
gome  risk)  there  are  exceptionally  fine  views;  and  we  can  but  regret 
that  our  artist-comrade,  Karzy,  was  so  busy  making  himself  agreeable 
to  the  "  wood-sprites,"  to  one  of  them  at  least,  that  he  utterly  forgot 
"  art,"  and  brought  away,  as  he  confesses,  but  very  confused  memories 
of  this  really  grand  cataract. 

Of  course  we  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  it  is  not  a  young  gentle- 
man's business  to  make  himself  agreeable  to  young  ladies.  By  no 
means :  we  hold  it  to  be  his  very  proper  business,  always,  everywhere 
and  under  all  circumstances,  almost  all.  But  it  was  unfortunate;  for 
a  cut  of  this  fall  would  have  been  a  fine  accompaniment  to  our  narra- 
tive. Its  absence  from  our  pages  is  all  on  account  of  the  "  wood- 
sprites." 

The  carriage-road  leads  down  to  within  a  half  or  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  of  the  cataract.  Thence  the  walk  in  the  glowing  autumn 
weather  is  a  delightful  one.  I  say  autumn  weather;  for  already  the 
maples  had  begun  to  show  red  and  golden  tints.  There  had  been 
frost,  the  drivers  told  us;  the  pasture  furze  displayed  patches  of  crim- 
son along  the  roadsides.  Great  loads  of  grain  were  everywhere 
moving  to  the  barns. 

At  one  farm  we  saw  a  novel  piece  of  machinery,  nothing  less  than 


a34 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB, 


a  threshing-machine  for  grain,  of  which  the  motive  power  was  fur- 
nished by  a  windmill.  The  machine  was  made  entirely  of  wood, 
even  to  the  teeth  of  the  beater.  Moses  O.  was  much  interested  in  it. 
"They  have  nothing  in  my  section  of  country  (Indiana)  like  that," 
he  remarked.  "Wouldn't  a  Western  farmer  smile  to  see  himself 
threshing  wheat  with  a  wooden  cylinder  I" 

There  is  no  hotel  at  the  Chaudi^re  Falls.  Climbing  about  the 
precipice  developed  a  most  avid  sense  of  hunger.  We  felt  famished, 
and  had  no  doubt  the  ladies  were  equally  sufferers.  A  rather  pretty 
farmhouse  stands  hard  by  where  the  horses  were  left.  Harold 
knocked  at  the  door.  It  was  opened  by  a  stout,  but  pleasant-faced 
Canadienne,  To  her  our  comrade  addressed  himself  most  politely 
and  persuasively. 

But  she  no  comprend  Anglais. 

Determined  not  to  be  foiled,  our  captain  had  recourse  after  some 
hard  knitting  of  his  brows,  to  his  college  French  :  — 

"  Avez  vous  le  pain  f  "  he  pronounced. 

"  Oui,^^  replied  the  woman  after  a  puzzled  and  rather  amused  con- 
templation of  our  friend. 

"  Et  la  laitf  "  Harold  went  on. 

"  Oui^  out,  Monsieur^'^  said  she  quickly,  beginning  to  at  least 
guess  what  was  wanted. 

"-£■/  le  beurref'^  continued  our  comrade. 

**  Ouiy  out,  out!  " 

"  Ti%s  bieny^  responded  Harold.  But  there  he  hung.  How  to  say 
that  we  wanted  some,  puzzled  him  somewhat.  At  length,  he  made  a 
grand  comprehensive  gesture,  embracing  the  whole  party,  which  stood 
delightedly  looking  on  at  a  little  distance,  and  cried:  ^'^ Nous  avons 
faimf'' 

That  did  the  business;  the  woman  kindly  invited  us  to  enter  her 
house,  and  ushered  us  into  a  little  sitting-room,  where  the  breeze, 
through  two  opposite  open 'windows,  was  blowing  out  the  white  cloth 


THE  PRIEST'S  HOG. 


235 


curtains.     There  were  willow-woven  chairs   and   a   table;  and   she 
brought  in  another  table  and  spread   them  both  with  white  cloths. 

Three  pans  of  milk,  with  bowls  and  cups,  were  set  on.  Then  came 
le  pain,  two  warm  loaves  and  two  cold  loaveji,  then  the  beurre, 
plenty  of  it. 

Hunger  is  a  famous  sauce.  The  ladies  expressed  themselves 
delighted  with  the  fare;  and  they  certainly  did  ample  justice  to  it.  So 
did  we  all. 

As  remuneration,  we  left  each  an  American  half  dollar;  and  the 
woman  seemed  quite  astonished  at  the  heap  of  silver  it  made.  With 
true  native  French  politeness,  she  gave  us  a  pretty  little  "  Bon  jour. 
Messieurs;  bon  jour,  Mesdemoiselles^^  as  we  rode  off.  On  the 
whole  it  was  a  repast  to  be  gratefully  remembered. 

That  night  our  lately  met  friends  favored  us  with  some  amusing 
incidents  and  experiences  of  their  trips  down  the  Alleguash  and  St. 
John  rivers  through  French  Acadian  Madawaska.  They  had  taken 
the  same  route  which  we  had  traversed  in  advance  of  them;  but  they 
had  travelled  more  leisurely  than  we,  and  had  lots  of  sport.  Trout 
they  had  caught  by  the  gross,  and  had  seen  two  bears.  But  the  most 
dangerous  game  which  they  had  fallen  in  with  was  a  Madawaska 
hogt    Wert  told  the  story,  amidst  much  laughter,  as  follows :  — 


THE  PRIEST'S    HOG. 

We  came  out  of  the  Alleguash  into  the  main  St.  John  a  little  before 
noon,  and  passed  the  junction  with  the  St.  Frances,  a  considerable  river 
which  makes  in  from  the  north,  shortly  after  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

Two  miles  below  we  camped  for  the  night  on  one  of  those  beautiful  little 
islands  in  the  river  which  form  so  fine  a  feature  of  the  scenery  on  the  upper 
course  of  the  St.  John.  There  is  here  a  little  French  hamlet  on  the  north 
bank,  and  a  number  of  houses  along  the  south  or  Maine  shore. 

As  we  landed  from  our  canoes  at  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  we  heard 
several  shouts  from  the  French  side,  which  sounded  like  ^^Gardez  vous  de 
foorcl     Prenez  garde  a  le  cooshong!  " 


236 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUS. 


But  the  cries  were  indistinct,  and  in  such  odd  French,  that  we  did  not 
understand  their  purport,  but  supposed  it  to  be  badinage  with  which  the 
village  "bambins"  not  un  frequently  saluted  us  en  route. 

The  island  was,  perhaps,  three  acres  in  extent,  and  partly  covered  by 
willows,  above  which  rose  a  few  graceful,  drooping  plumes  of  the  river  elms. 
It  was  a  lovely  September  evening.  The  sun,  setting  far  up  the  shining 
stream,  burnished  the  wooded  hills,  which,  at  a  distance  of  two  or  three 
miles,  walled  in  the  river  valley  on  each  side. 

The  woods  were  clothed  in  all  their  gorgeous  autumn  beauty  ;  the  golden 
yellow  of  bass  and  elm,  the  vivid  reds  of  maples,  and  the  di.sky  purple  of 
ash;  for  frost  had  been  here  already.  Even  the  hazel  and  willow  banks 
were  "fall'n  into  the  sere,  the  yellow  l'»af." 

The  tents  were  landed  and  pitched.  From  the  plentiful  ricks  of  dry  drift- 
wood, brought  down  by  the  spring  floods,  we  built  grand  camp-tires,  about 
which  our  guides  were  soon  busy  getting  supper.  The  ladies  of  the  party 
walked  to  and  fro  along  the  sandy  shore,  glad  of  the  exercise  after  their  con- 
finement of  many  hours  in  a  canoe. 

Our  position  here  was  wonderfully  picturesque.  The  mellow  autumn 
light,  the  chatter  of  French  talk  over  at  the  hamlet,  the  "peerogs"  (pirogues), 
which  now  and  then  shot  across  the  river,  paddled  by  browr  --ed  women 
and  girls,  in  red  and  green  skirts,  wearing  straw  hats,  all  con  ig  to  form 
an  aspect  of  peasant  life  such  as,  had  we  not  seen  it,  we  could  not  have 
believed  to  exist  in  America. 

It  was  like  rural  France ;  though  never  in  France,  and  only  in  northern 
New  England  and  Canada  do  early  frosts,  followed  by  days  of  hot  sun,  give 
to  foliage  those  glorious  hues,  which  make  a  tour  during  September  like  a 
visit  to  some  gorgeous  gallery  of  Titian's  masterpieces. 

We  were  at  supper.  The  ruddy  light  on  the  forests  was  fading  out,  and 
dusk  was  bringing  out  the  glow  of  the  camp-fires,  when  Musidora  suddenly 
said, — 

" Listen  !     Is  not  that  a  pig?  " 

Surely  from  within  the  bushes,  and  not  far  off,  could  be  heard  a  gruff 
reh-treh-reh !  rah-rah-rah !  in  true  porcine  accent,  very  deep  and  hoarse, 
too. 

"  Pig ! "  exclaimed  Mellen,  "  I  should  call  that  an  old  hog!  " 

"I  declare,"  muttered  uncle  Jethro,  "who'd  a  thought  o'  thar  bein'  hargs 
here  I  "  And  the  old  man  charged  into  the  bushes,  shouting  "  Wheh  thar ! 
wheh  !  wheh  I  '■ 


THE  PRIESrS  HOG, 


237 


Instantly  we  heard  a  deep  angry  bark,  and  then  uncle  Jethro  vocifer- 
ating,— 

"  Show  fight,  will  ye  ?     Take  that  1     I'll  larn  ye  I " 

But  the  next  moment  he  came  leaping  out  of  the  brush,  with  a  great, 
gaunt,  black  and  white  hog  foaming  at  his  heels,  and  barking  like  a  wild 
boar  I 

The  ladies  screamed  "  Mercy  on  us  !  "  We  all  jumped  up  from  the  table, 
and  scattered  right  and  left,  in  our  stampede  to  escape  that  terrible  pig. 

'*  Shoot  'im  1  shoot  'im  I  "  shouted  uncle  Jethro. 

But  we  were  too  intent  on  getting  out  of  the  way  to  shoot ;  besides,  the 
guns  were  in  our  tents,  and  tlie  cartridges  withdrawn  from  them. 

Louis  attacked  the  beast  with  one  of  the  setting-poles,  but  it  made  at  him 
so  savagely,  that  even  our  faithful  Penobscot  had  to  fall  back. 

The  reader  may,  perhaps,  smile,  yet  this  was  a  really  fearful  brute,  long 
and  gaunt  and  tall.  It  looked  more  like  a  wolf  than  a  hog,  and  it  had  terri- 
ble great  white  tusks,  which  it  struck  together  when  it  barked,  with  a  clash 
that  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

When  it  charged  at  Louis  the  long  bristles  rose  on  its  fore-shoulders  and 
along  its  back  in  a  most  menacing  fashion.  Indeed,  I  quite  believe  the 
creature  would  have  hurt  some  of  us  —  it  looked  capable  of  doing  mischief — 
had  not  its  attention  been  drawn  to  our  supper,  the  appetizing  odor  of  which 
was  diffused  about. 

Very  likely  this  was  what  had  attracted  the  animal.  It  stopped  in  full 
career  after  Louis,  and  shuffling  about  amid  our  outspread  crockery  and 
provisions,  began  to  put  in  practice  the  historic  motto  that  "  to  the  victor 
belong  the  spoils." 

Graham  pudding,  buttered  toast,  and  our  recently  purchased  pail  of  new 
milk,  seemed  to  suit  its  taste. 

Meantime  we,  the  defeated  party,  rallied.  We  could  hear  from  the 
French  shore,  a  great  outcry  and  unlimited  laughter,  with  shouts  of 
^^Trappe!  Trappe !  Guerre!  Guerre!  Battez  vous  ferme^  Amencains! 
Defends  poorc  !  " 

Miss  Louise  and  "  Mab "  were  in  one  of  the  canoes  ready  to  push  off. 
Miss  S.  was  hiding  in  a  willow  clump,  and  Musidora  was  trembling  behind 
the  ladies'  tent. 

Our  fellow-voyager,  Mellen,  had  crept  up  in  the  rear  of  our  tent, 
secured  one  of  the  breech-loading  fowling-pieces,  and  was  preparing  to 
shoot. 


238 


THE  KNOCK-ABOUT  CLUB. 


'*But  you  must  not  shoot  it  1 "  Louis  called  out  to  him.     "It's  somebody's 

pig  I " 

**  Somebody's  wildcat  I "  muttered  our  friend,  and  let  a  charge  of  light 

duck  fly  at  the  beast.     Such  a  squeal. 

The  creature  dived  at  its  tormentor  round  our  tent,  but  tripped  itself  up 
on  the  guy  ropes,  and  in  the  scuffle  brought  the  tent  flat,  squealing  all  the 
time  as  if  freshly  "  stuck." 

Then  it  whirled  round  fifty  times,  more  or  less,  and  struck  off  at  right 
angles  towards  where  Miss  S.  was  hiding  in  the  willows. 

A  scream  of  terror  came  from  the  lady. 

But  here  Robm  appeared  with  his  revolver,  firing  two  or  three  shots,  one 
of  which  must  have  hit  the  animal.  With  a  fresh  squeal  it  tacked  and  ran 
off  into  the  bushes,  where  we  could  hear  it  uttering  the  most  ear-piercing 
cries,  and  making  both  shores  resound  to  its  notes  of  pain. 

"  Let's  get  out  of  this ! "  exclaimed  Mellen,  disgusted.  '*  What  a  beastly 
contretemps." 

"This  is  Hog  Island,  indeed,"  Louis  observed. 

The  creature  had  made  sad  work  with  our  commissariat.  Our  tablecloth 
was  irremediably  defiled.  We  gathered  up  what  victuals  remained  intact, 
then  struck  our  tents,  and,  re-embarking,  paddled  down  to  the  second  islet 
below. 

Here,  after  a  careful  reconnoissance,  we  landed  and  set  up  our  injured 
Lares  and  Penates  for  the  night.  But  we  could  still  hear  "  that  beastly  hog  " 
bewailing  those  shot  holes.  In  fact,  his  subdued  squeals  were  about  the  last 
sounds  I  recollect  hearing  that  night. 

Next  morning  Uncle  Jethro  and  Mellen  went  across  to  the  French  ham- 
let to  inquire  what  sort  of  hogs  they  kept  thereabouts,  and  also  to  ascertain 
the  public  sentiment  relative  to  the  affair. 

They  learned  that  it  was  one  of  the  priest's  hogs.  The  animal  had  been 
the  terror  of  the  village,  till  the  people  turned  out  en  masse^  and  with  dogs 
and  missiles  drove  the  brute  across  the  arm  of  the  river  to  the  island  where 
we  encountered  him.     They  had  shouted  to  warn  us. 

As  we  wished  to  leave  a  favorable  impression,  Mellen  went  in  search  of 
the  priest,  so  as  to  settle  up  the  matter ;  for  we  supposed  we  had  killed  the 
animal.  The  good  man  was  found  walkikig  near  the  church  in  his  black 
gown.  Mellen  and  his  "riverence  "  had  some  ditiiculty  in  understanding  each 
other ;  but  Mellen  thought  that  he  quite  disclaimed  damages,  and  even  apolo- 
gized profusely  and  kindly  for  the  fright  the  ladies  had  suffered. 


HOME  AGAIN. 


239 


As  they  came  back  to  us,  however,  they  espied  the  porker  on  his  island, 
"  liv^ely  as  ever,"  Uncle  Jethro  said.  So  we  were  able  to  go  on,  relieved  of  the 
burden  of  having  slaughtered  the  priest's  hog. 

♦ 
Next  day  being  Sunday,  we  attended  church,  but  exhibited  our 

tolerant  and  cosmopolitan  traits  by  going  to  the  Anglican  service  in 

the  morning,  the  Catholic  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Presbyterian  in  the 

evening.     In  the  matter  of  churches  a  right  American  must  have  no 

prejudices,  all  are  good  enough,  if  they  live  peaceably  together.    We 

cannot  have  any  "  unpleasantness,"  nor  any  division,  long  or  short,  of 

the  public  school  money. 

The  three  following  days  —  Monday,  Tuesday  and  Wednesday — 
were  occupied  in  excursions  to  the  Indian  village  of  Jeune  Lovett,  to 
Lac  St.  Charles,  and  to  Cape  Rouge. 

Need  I  say  that  those  were  delightful  days?  Ah,  fair  Quebec!  — 
but  hold,  this  is  not  our  romance,  but  that  of  our  Harvard  friends. 
Kindly  taken  into  their  charming  partnership  for  a  few  brief  hours,  it 
would  be  ungrateful,  indeed,  in  us  to  give  it  away. 

Ask  «  Robin." 

Ask  "Wert." 

Ask"Mellen." 

I 

They  know. 

Home  by  rail  Thursday.    .' 


BoBTON  Stbbeotype  Fodndry,  No.  4  Pearl  Street. 


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III.  Ill,  II  I'.  II,  11" 


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